I'll be testing the new Infinium "master volume" soon - I'm hoping that will give me most of the tone of a power soak.
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Bugera 1960 for bass
- Thread starter Koffelito
- Start date
I would definitely be curious how it sounds. Usually master volume just means that you get the preamp dirt, and you don't really overdrive the power section.
This master is post phase inverter so should sound better than a merely post preamp master.
I guess I never considered that a power attenuator could affect tone. That explains why a friend's home built mini-Marshall combo (50 watt non master volume chassis in a small 1x12 combo cabinet) sounded like that. I always thought it was the Gauss loudspeaker...
Got my 1960 Infinium in today. It's freakin' huge - I don't remember my V4B as being that big. And the weight reminds me why I sold my V4B 30 years ago LOL. It actually matches up well size-wise with my GK 212mbe cab when the cab is on its side. Took me a few minutes with the manual to figure out that "Randy Rhodes" input jack weirdness but it looks like a good mod for guitar that doesn't hurt it from operating normally too. The master doesn't go to zero - it's still too loud to get any grind out of it this late at night with the wife and kid in bed 
. I'd wild-guess it reduces by 10db so still 15 watts. Absolutely no noise that I can detect - not even a tiny bit of 60Hz you'd expect from a tube amp? . I read on a guitar forum that the output transformer is too big to get a true "Marshall" sound out of it without a replacement but I'll believe this monster is flat to 20Hz as claimed. I ran it treble at 0, mid at 10 and bass at 2 and it sounded pretty flat to me with my Hofner Galaxy CT.
Dunno if I'll ever want to lug this to a gig - I'm kinda spoiled by the lack of weight of my MB200 and Micro-VR heads
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. I'd wild-guess it reduces by 10db so still 15 watts. Absolutely no noise that I can detect - not even a tiny bit of 60Hz you'd expect from a tube amp? . I read on a guitar forum that the output transformer is too big to get a true "Marshall" sound out of it without a replacement but I'll believe this monster is flat to 20Hz as claimed. I ran it treble at 0, mid at 10 and bass at 2 and it sounded pretty flat to me with my Hofner Galaxy CT.Dunno if I'll ever want to lug this to a gig - I'm kinda spoiled by the lack of weight of my MB200 and Micro-VR heads
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Just a quick pic I snapped this morning while I was practicing. The 2x12 has a blown tweeter, which is why the grate is off and the tweeter is missing. This rig can get insanely loud. I've mostly solved the blanket-effect that the Power Soak was giving me. I am really digging the sound. I'm only going to end up keeping one of these cabs. Once the tweeter is replaced, I'll A/B them and make the decision.
Question for you BUgera 1960 owners: I'm thinking about getting one of these(infinium) because I crave tubes and have a soft spot for british amp-designs. Not because I don't like our good ol' american makes, but I can't afford an ampeg and everyone has one. I like to stand out a bit. Anyways, I digress. Everyone keeps saying in this forum how louuuud this thing is, so my question is... Does it put out more than the Kustom kbh200/Acoustic b200h (same amp, which I currently use.SS), or the traynor yba200(which I also have the option to buy and is 200 tube watts, but everyone says is under-powered). I need this thing to kick a solid amount of volume without PA support.
For reference, I'm currently using a vintage Peavey 215 cab, am gonna switch to a ampeg hlf 410, and compete with a moderately loud drummer and a guitarist with a 2x12 cab with 30 or 50 tube watts(big difference, I know, but I can't remember which. :/ )
For reference, I'm currently using a vintage Peavey 215 cab, am gonna switch to a ampeg hlf 410, and compete with a moderately loud drummer and a guitarist with a 2x12 cab with 30 or 50 tube watts(big difference, I know, but I can't remember which. :/ )
I got to crank the infinium today - it starts to break up at "3" when you hit hard (passive humbucker) and is pretty smooth until you get up past 6 or so. On 10 is definitely has some Marshall sound without being horribly nasty IMO. With the master all the way down and gain still on 3 it isn't much louder than I was playing the other night with the kid and wife sleeping but just a bit too loud for quiet practice. On "11" through my GK 212MBE it's surprisingly soft - no wall shaking going on 
. This cab is supposed to have the same sensitivity as an Ampeg 'fridge (100db).
without being horribly nasty IMO. With the master all the way down and gain still on 3 it isn't much louder than I was playing the other night with the kid and wife sleeping but just a bit too loud for quiet practice. On "11" through my GK 212MBE it's surprisingly soft - no wall shaking going on . This cab is supposed to have the same sensitivity as an Ampeg 'fridge (100db).
That cab is 2db less efficient (on paper a least?) that my cab that I just wrote about.
Ah, that explains why so many Guitar Centers have those amps and they're trying to get rid of them...
Anyway...
The Bugera is really a 100 watt tube amp. If you need to be loud, I'd stick with the 2x15 and take advantage of the mid range fury that an old 2x15 can deliver. The Ampeg has huge low end, but I'm not sure about the mids. And huge low end takes a lot of power.
Having written that, I'd compare the two cabinets to see which is more efficient.
Also, from experience I'd recommend that you don't try to compete too much with guitarists hell-bent on being really loud. It'll cost you a fortune in gear and can wreak havoc on your back.
I hope you wear hearing protection!!!
/unsolicited parental-style advice
I've toyed with the idea of buying a good used Avatar B212 and replacing the tweeter with a midrange...
Do the 12s in your cabinet have Neo or Ceramic magnets?
Thanks for the info guys, when the hlf shows up I'll a/b it with my 2x15 before I decide to sell that off. We aren't terribly loud, in-fact I can currently overpower my drummer and guitarist in my current set-up without too much trouble(part of the reason I want the hlf). I just say that it has to be loud without PA support because we only have the option available to us at select venues.
Gonna give it a try and report back. Thanks!
Gonna give it a try and report back. Thanks!
The cabinet's weight would give you a hint. You can probably see a magnet through the tweeter's opening too.
I experimented with the Infinium some more today. Both the GK 212MBE cab and the Hofner Galaxy CT (even the neck pickup) are pretty midrange heavy so I ended up with the bass = 10, treble = 0, and midrange now gives a range of usable tone anywhere from 0 to 10. I now can shake the walls somewhat 
. I also bypassed the master (there's a button for that) after reading up that post phase splitter masters often cut the low end a bit. I'm not 100% sure that the master bypass increases the low end as it increases the volume above the master on "10" anyways.
BTW I bought this as a "scratch'n'dent" for $340 shipped but can't see anything wrong with it except for being stoopid big and heavy LOL.
Last i knew it's impossible to get schematics from Behringer but I might try Bugera? If I can get one I'll probably change channel 1 into another channel 2 (AKA remove the treble boost caps), decrease the gain on both by 6db or so (the gains are really only useful up to 3 now), check to make sure none of the coupling caps are blocking the lows, and possibly retune the EQ. I wish it could drive 2 ohm loads but my 600w 4 ohm 2x12 cab seem to soak up anything it can put out without any problem - I'd have no problem with anyone using it as festival backline as I can think of any way it could blow up or cook that cab. As I posted earlier I've run it WFO no prob
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. I also bypassed the master (there's a button for that) after reading up that post phase splitter masters often cut the low end a bit. I'm not 100% sure that the master bypass increases the low end as it increases the volume above the master on "10" anyways.BTW I bought this as a "scratch'n'dent" for $340 shipped but can't see anything wrong with it except for being stoopid big and heavy LOL.
Last i knew it's impossible to get schematics from Behringer but I might try Bugera? If I can get one I'll probably change channel 1 into another channel 2 (AKA remove the treble boost caps), decrease the gain on both by 6db or so (the gains are really only useful up to 3 now), check to make sure none of the coupling caps are blocking the lows, and possibly retune the EQ. I wish it could drive 2 ohm loads but my 600w 4 ohm 2x12 cab seem to soak up anything it can put out without any problem - I'd have no problem with anyone using it as festival backline as I can think of any way it could blow up or cook that cab. As I posted earlier I've run it WFO no prob
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Actually I happen to be an EE, have all that and could do all that if I needed to
. I'm happy enough with it for now I guess. I found out that no-one has had any luck getting schematics to the Bugera gear but I do have a late model Marshall "1959" schematic that should be close if I really get inspired to mod it. I have a festival/charity thing coming up in June that I'm playing at for an hour and helping out with sound the whole day so I might haul it out then and see what it does on an outdoor stage. I'll probably let others use it if they want so's I can check it out from out front.
.... I found out that no-one has had any luck getting schematics to the Bugera gear
If I ever pull the chassis out of mine, I may try to draw a schematic for it. It can't be a terribly complex amp, so I doubt that the circuit board has any inner layers (which would make tracing the signal path a pain).
Well, I went ahead and pulled the drivers out today. They're light as hell, so I'd say they're almost definitely NEOs. No brand name on them though
Anyone have any idea what these are?
