Amp/cab sound vs the cost

[travisferrell]

I played a show last weekend. We were opening for Ally Venable in Ft Wayne IN.

The headliners bassist was playing a couple of 2x10 cabs and a head. All were Bugera branded. Im not that familiar with this brand, but the rig sounded fantastic. Plenty loud without losing good tone/presence.

I was so impressed that I started to look around for those cabs online, and doesnt appear anyone has them in stock. I was very surprised at how affordable they were when outlets did have them in stock.

1. Anyone know these might be found new?

2. What other brands do you think offer high end tone/power at such a great price?

Im currently using Fender Rumble gear. Ive been pretty happy them, but that rig I heard the othet was superior in every way, including the price apparently.

 

[ashtray]

You can probably search here for reviews on that brand. From what I recall, Musicians Friend used to sell them as a cheap line of gear that didn’t sound bad, but were made to a pricepoint that might not be intended for heavy gigging. They had their fans though. Again, search this forum and you’ll probably find a bunch of older threads.

 

[Bassdirty]

I understand that they are made by (well, owned by, rather) the same company that Owns Behringer. (take that however you want. They were listed as an amp "for beginners and experienced players alike". (according to an article I read.)

I have not heard any of them in person, so, can't comment on the tone itself. My concern (and maybe its psychological- "get what ya pay for" kinda thing) is that being so low priced, that reliability may be an issue. I would look around and see what actual users are saying in regards to reliability.

I also read that they're made in Germany- also have not verified this, as for such low price, my guess woulda been China.

For all I know, they could be manufactured in the same factory that makes your favorite bass amp..

Read as many reviews as you can, but take with grain of salt.
That's all I got. Keep us posted.



T$

 

[Sparky Mark]

I played a show last weekend. We were opening for Ally Venable in Ft Wayne IN.

The headliners bassist was playing a couple of 2x10 cabs and a head. All were Bugera branded. Im not that familiar with this brand, but the rig sounded fantastic. Plenty loud without losing good tone/presence.

I was so impressed that I started to look around for those cabs online, and doesnt appear anyone has them in stock. I was very surprised at how affordable they were when outlets did have them in stock.

1. Anyone know these might be found new?

2. What other brands do you think offer high end tone/power at such a great price?

Im currently using Fender Rumble gear. Ive been pretty happy them, but that rig I heard the othet was superior in every way, including the price apparently.

I believe all Behringer and Bugera products are made in the MusicTribe City, China, manufacturing plant. The cabs use ceramic magnet Turbosound drivers which are UK designed. I have a pair in my TC Electronic (another Behringer owned company) BG250 combo and they are excellent. Behringer is a high volume manufacturer which contributes to its very competitive prices. If you find a pair of the Bugera BTS210TS cabs they won't be lightweight at 22kg each but they should be low cost and sound good as you already know.

 

[CallMeAl]

I’ve only tried Bugera’s guitar amps, but they’re great.

As for others: when looking at great tone/features on a budget, Peavey is always on my list.

 

[Marko 1]

... Again, search this forum and you’ll probably find a bunch of older threads.

Half the posts will just be folks bashing the brand,

parroting what they've heard from others bashing the brand.

 

[seamonkey]

Amp/cab sound vs the cost

There is no such correlation.
To an extent.
For example, Harmon did a study on headphones priced between $200 to $1000 and showed that there was no correlation between price and perceived sound quality.
But there are other reasons why a higher priced piece of gear may be a better bargain in the long run.

 

[gln1955]

There was a recent thread about amp disposability vs repairability. That is one consideration that may make low cost equipment not such a bargain.

 

[JohnnyChatter]

Someone correct me if I’m wrong but I thought Bugera essentially stole other brands designs and made them cheaper. Like the Nuke was supposed to be a copy of an Ampeg SVT4 pro? The ones I have heard didn’t sound bad at all and my experience with Behringer has always been it’s cheap but it works. I’ve had a mixer for years I paid nothing for. I would be curious to hear from some long time users the reliability of these.

Did the other bassist have a D.I. Before his amp going to front of house? Do y’all play the same bass? I only ask because I have gone down rabbit holes chasing a tone thinking it was one thing but it was another.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

I played a show last weekend. We were opening for Ally Venable in Ft Wayne IN.

The headliners bassist was playing a couple of 2x10 cabs and a head. All were Bugera branded. Im not that familiar with this brand, but the rig sounded fantastic. Plenty loud without losing good tone/presence.

I was so impressed that I started to look around for those cabs online, and doesnt appear anyone has them in stock. I was very surprised at how affordable they were when outlets did have them in stock.

1. Anyone know these might be found new?

2. What other brands do you think offer high end tone/power at such a great price?

Im currently using Fender Rumble gear. Ive been pretty happy them, but that rig I heard the othet was superior in every way, including the price apparently.

Yeah. You can find them used for a fraction of the already low new prices.

It's behringer's sister company. Bugera used to make speakers for behringer's cabinets. And then they started to make their own amps. Then kind of took off with their own lines.

But, yeah. They're nice, cheap,and sound great. Just don't count on reliability from their electronics.

 

[4StringDave]

I also have heard only guitar amps and those sound good and seem as reliable as any other valve amp I've seen those players use.

I've played through a cheap Behringer bass combo amp and it sounded good too but was HEAVY.

A lot of prejudice against Behringer stuff, and Chinese made stuff in general, but I've always found it to be decent, reliable, and good value.

 

[Gearhead17]

"The rig sounded fantastic". From what vantage point did it sound fantastic? Was there a PA System involved here? What signal path did the bass player have to the sound person?

I have made the same mistake of thinking a rig sounded really good when it was really the PA System and DI setup from the bass player.

 

[travisferrell]

Did the other bassist have a D.I. Before his amp going to front of house? Do y’all play the same bass? I only ask because I have gone down rabbit holes chasing a tone thinking it was one thing but it was another.[/QUOTE]

I was standing behind his rig, so I couldnt hear front of house. He was running a Bass Mods J. Im sure that didnt hurt, but it was more of the way the amp was loud & sounded clear etc that I was impressed with. I was checking it out after the show, and my impression was that the cabs at least were very solidly built. The bassist said that anytime he sees one of those cabs for sale, he buys it. Guess if I come across one I'll pick it up.

 

[Stewie]

No experience with Bugera, but I Have friends with lots of Behringer stuff. It sounds good and seems to take abuse without a whimper, despite its "reputation"

 

[JohnnyChatter]

I wonder if you don't like that backed in tone the Fenders have. I personally like a real clear tone. I say go buy a pair and enjoy them. The only flag I really see is that they advertise 1600 watts but the manual and back of the cab say 1000 watts? I know Bugera liked to use peak watts to make their heads sound like they had more power but I don't know about their cabs. Honestly though if the cab is tuned to the speakers and its built semi well there isnt much that can go wrong with them as long as you dont over power them or send crazy frequencies at them.

 

[skyline_01]

I played a show last weekend. We were opening for Ally Venable in Ft Wayne IN.

The headliners bassist was playing a couple of 2x10 cabs and a head. All were Bugera branded. Im not that familiar with this brand, but the rig sounded fantastic. Plenty loud without losing good tone/presence.

I was so impressed that I started to look around for those cabs online, and doesnt appear anyone has them in stock. I was very surprised at how affordable they were when outlets did have them in stock.

1. Anyone know these might be found new?

2. What other brands do you think offer high end tone/power at such a great price?

Im currently using Fender Rumble gear. Ive been pretty happy them, but that rig I heard the othet was superior in every way, including the price apparently.

Not to derail, but I also played BBQ Ribfest last Thursday with Erin Coburn, opening for E5C4PE (Journey tribute band). We had a great time and the staff/organizers could not have been more accommodating!

We also opened for Ally late last year at the Hard Rock in Gary, IN. They're a fun and talented bunch, and as I recall EJ was using a Markbass rig that time with his Bass Mods 6. It sounded really good & they put on a great show.

 

[Hoochie Coochie Man]

I own some very nice stuff, and I describe myself as a no talent hack who owns gear that is way too good form me.

It has been my experience on more than one occasion to hear a very talented musician play through gear that I may consider to be inferior to my own, and have ben amazed at how good they sound.

If you can't or won't pay the cost of any particularly highly rated equipment, you may still be able to do some good work with lower cost gear by developing your skill, and technique.

Something I should work on myself.

 

[Aloe]

the Veyron? it's a cheap amp. the cabs were also not expensive, can be dirt cheap secondhand. not sure if they produce the cabs anymore.

it's great, you found your dream tone in such an inexpensive package. I think, you already heard that the 2kW rating is very optimistic, but nevertheless even considering the actual power the head or cabs don't look expensive.

Behringer and its' child companies are known to provide value for money. Uli Behringer's goal from the beginning was to produce very affordable music equipment, as he once was young and could not afford buying 'real' equipment from other brands. it's not like Behringer and associates are not a 'real' brand, they're all very good selling brands, but to keep the price down, they need to cut the corners. some like that, some don't. to see if you like it -- get the amp and see yourself, there's no other way.

p.s. Rumble vs Bugera is not really a 'quality' comparison, it's different voiced rigs. Rumble is very good in what it does, but it might be not everyone's cup of tea. frankly, not mine as well.

 

[shoot-r]

I played a show last weekend. We were opening for Ally Venable in Ft Wayne IN.

The headliners bassist was playing a couple of 2x10 cabs and a head. All were Bugera branded. Im not that familiar with this brand, but the rig sounded fantastic. Plenty loud without losing good tone/presence.

I was so impressed that I started to look around for those cabs online, and doesnt appear anyone has them in stock. I was very surprised at how affordable they were when outlets did have them in stock.

1. Anyone know these might be found new?

2. What other brands do you think offer high end tone/power at such a great price?

Im currently using Fender Rumble gear. Ive been pretty happy them, but that rig I heard the othet was superior in every way, including the price apparently.

Avatar cabs meet your criteria for higher end tone, higher power handling and inexpensive prices.

I gigged with two, Avatar, 210, Neo cabinets stacked as a vertical 410 for nearly 15 years in a working band.

Their loaded with Eminence U.S.A 2510 Neo drivers, Foster/Fostex horns, Eminence x-overs.

Power handling is rated at 500 watts per cab with the 2510 drivers.

The Avatar cabinets were designed by Eminence for Avatar to be used with Eminence components.

I'd place Avatar's cabinet build quality on the same level as Ampeg.

Avatar is mail order only, no middleman, that's how they keep prices down compared to new, brand name, manufacturers cabinets.

avatarspeakers.com

(FYI: I'd still be using my two, 210 Avatar cabs but the group I'm working with recently went through a "major" downsizing in our backline stage amps, I've now got those cabs for sale locally.)

 

[MasterG]

Here's a video of the bass player using the Bugeras.