I record with my V5 all the time. The secret I've found is to swap the preamp tube to a 12AY7 which is usually a much cleaner ( more headroom for cleans) sound. A good JJ or Tung sol in the power section. Also use a nice little EQ pedal to dial on more hight and lows. I run mine through a 112 cabinet with a WGS speaker and it gets as nice tones as my DR.Z. for that class A valve sound these amps in a studio setting are a steal. The potential for great tube tones is limitless. It's the best deal around even just as a head. Bless
how did you change the tube? I have try to remove the tube but it looks like they are not changeable. They are glued and impossible to put out in my experience.
I absolutely love mine! I regrettably got rid of my original model years ago and your video a while ago inspired me to get a newer one. It’s obviously great in the bedroom but I gig with it also in a couple different breweries and clubs. I play Telecasters thru it along with my trio consisting of electric bass and Washboard/percussion player. It definitely holds its own in the noisier venues I play. I play fairly clean with a little dirt and no pedals. I love it more each gig. Thank you for the re-review!
I've had my two V5 version 1's for over a decade and they're still going strong. I use one for blowing harp in my blues band and it has just enough power to compete with the rest of the band. However, I do run it like a head into a cab with a 12" Weber speaker. The other one is my home practice amp next to my stereo for jamming along with CDs. Uh, hell yes these get loud enough to annoy neighbors. I've had the cops called on me more than once for cranking it after 10pm! LOL
@@richardx4456 Not sure what a good Brand really means. Marshal, Fender and Vox all have some pretty lousy amps and some great ones. Bugera is part of Behringer which is a huge company. Anyway, like I said, I've had my V5 for 10 years and I've never not been happy with it. I've owned Fender, Marshal, Vox, Rivera, Crate, and Orange amps. And I've liked most all of them. There are a lot of good amps out there. The reason I like Bugera is that it was low cost, has been very reliable, and it actually sounds great. This amp also takes pedals very well, which was important to me as this is a at home practice amp. Nice too that it has an attenuator. If I go back to playing out, I'd likely buy the V22 and use it as a great clean tone to run my pedals through.
Always interesting to look back on these older reviews and place them in the current context. I had a V5 until recently and this re-review reminded me why I no longer have it: no sparkle in the clean tone. I tried several things (short of an EQ pedal, since it kind of offended my sensibilities to get a pedal that cost half what the amp did to try to fix a basic characteristic of the amp) and just couldn’t get anything that didn’t sound muddy. For a small, inexpensive practice amp with at least some true tube character, it’s not bad, but the Blackstar HT-5R I have now is a true bargain even at twice the price of the Bugera. Thanks as always for your great content, Shane!
Super useful comment. Listening to this amp I was thinking exactly what you said. No sparkle. Kinda muddy. Not my jam at all. What I really want is the tone of a black face Princeton. Might have to bight bullet and just buy a real one.
It's funny how different people can perceive the same thing differently, I found the clean tone on mine to be really excellent, perfect for a strat on the middle+neck pickup position. I will agree that humbucker guitars sound muddy through this amp though.
It sounds great but I feel like it's so hard to base a gear choice off of a youtube video. You've gotta get in the store and play it for yourself to really know if you like it. Awesome vid regardless, you killed it man!
Sweet merciful J! That surprised me! The f'n tone!! As always, a solid review. This be one of the only channels I view vids all the way through. Slainte P.S. I dig how expressive you are in your reviews. It is obvious you are enjoying the amp. One can really feel the honesty in the review.
Just got one of these, did the Celestion speaker and Tung sol mods....really sweet now! Sounds best on 5 watt mode cranked to 7 or 8 on gain, tone, volume. They need to make a 10 watt version with a 12 inch speaker, everything else the same....
I see this comment is 2 years old but wanted to ask a question about the Eminence Patriot 820h. I am thinking of buying this speaker to out in this amp exactly as you did. Do you feel as though the amp has enough bass response with this swap? The demos I have heard seem to have no bass or just fizz when the low string is hit. Can you let me know how this 820h speaker is working out with this amp? Thanks so much
Glad you did this one as I recall the original one and had hoped it would've fared better to your critique even should valve replacements be necessary. This adds clarity to your thoughts on the little amp, such that I can now put it back into consideration as an economical alternative for a next combo.
These are great little amps. I had one of the first ones back in 2009. Non-Infinium and no Tubosound. Hated to get rid of it, but needed to. Sometimes wish I had it back. Thanks for the memories. BTW they were 149 bucks back then!
I liked mine, but I had to use a tube screamer whenever I used humbuckers. Just too muddy for me without it. Loved it with the teles though. Ended up using it in a trade to get a katana. The store is selling it for what they gave me for it, so I might get it back if I just have to have the tube sound again.
Hey Shane Am I the only one complaining about this amp? I bought it in 2016 after watching your previous review and I was so disapointed that I sold it a couple of month later. What a dark and boxy sounding amp! .... I was expecting a lot of the power attenuator for silence practicing but it makes the sound so flat.... My tiny little blackstar Fly 3 sounds much better and fuller at bedroom level...
I agree that it's really dark, even upgraded the speaker on my version 1. It's sat in the closet for about 10 years. @jason I bought the monoprice 15w 12" for 130usd and it runs circles around this amp.
Just your preference, I guess. I love mine, but then I'm not into too glassy. Have many other amps that can give me a much brighter sound, and Bugera V5 being this simple amp can't be Jack of all trades. No intention of selling mine.
This little amp rocks!!! If you want a small practice amp and you also want a tubes, this amp, along with the Marshall Class 5 line, is a great option. Thanks for revisiting this amp Shane!!!! Cheers!🤙🏾🤙🏾🤙🏾🎸🎸🎸🎸
I have the original version. At first, it struck me as overly dark and muddy, especially with humbucker guitars. However, as I experimented with pedals, I found the Joyo American, AC Tone and British Sound series of pedals, with separate bass, mid and treble tone controls, overcame the darkness issue. What should I expect from a basic, one channel tube amp with only a single 'tone' control? With a little boost to the incoming signal, and some eq tweaking, this amp becomes a tone beast....with no mods or tube changes. So, this little Bugera amp has resurrected itself as a great at home amp for this hobbyist.
Well I'll have to disagree with most people here and say I think it sounds great, not overly loud but still I like the tone. I'd much prefer this to some modeling amp.
This is the amp you mention that would be perfect for home use, I like the .1 watt , you can just crank it I guess and still get that creamy saturated sound and for the money you cannot beat it
Hey Shane, Bugera should give you shares man! I ordered my v5 infinium today due to your videos! I was looking at the vox ac4 but the bugera just kept calling to me!
Great Demo , would be a great amp for Blues - Harp playing , I would highly recommend a 5 watt BLACKHEART little Giant tube amp with a 12 inch speaker ! - its an awesome poor mans Mini Marshall ! sadly Blackheart has been discontinued .
My Bugera V5 is my gigging harp amp. I put a 12au7 in there. Works like a charm, but only if I can keep the band volume under control. I basically use it as a way to know if the band is getting too loud. When I start getting buried, I tell the team to dial it back, and we get a good mix that doesn't blow out the ears of the audience. however, it's simply not loud enough to really compete with a full band. If you have a loud band or need cleaner tones loud, you'll want to go with a 15 watter.
I played one of these in a Guitar Center a few years back but forgot what it was. I would have bought one for practicing if I remembered, not a bad sounding little practice amp. I have since picked up a Carr Super Bee which fits the bill, but if I ever need a small amp that I'm not afraid to leave somewhere when I go to the bathroom, I'd still pick one of these up.
I have the earlier models of the V5. I changed out the speaker and put in an Eminence patriot. Love this amp. Doesn't sound too dark anymore and love to play it with Humbuckers.
I know your comment is 2 years old but I'd love to ask you about the Eminence Patriot. I am thinking about doing this exact swap, and using this amp with a strat, Tele and LP for bedroom use. Did you loose bottom end/bass with the Eminence Patriot 820h?
@@jc6721,it really helped bringing the amp to life in my opinion. I mainly use Humbuckers and now I am able to stop cranking the tone knob to 10. I don't think it lost its low end at all. Sounds great and definitely worth changing out the speaker.
Sweet re-review! I was wondering how yours was holding up. I’ve had mine for a year or two and it’s great! It cost me $149 us new and I put some Sovtek tubes and a used Celestion g8l 35 speaker. I got the speaker out of an old Crate SS amp. I just played three hours at a live venue and everyone said it sounded mint (miked through the PA).They seem to be a great amp to me? I’ve also got a Tiny Terror and an Alamo Challenger. I mostly use the Bugera though...The Turbosound isn’t bad so I made a small cab for it and use it with a Smokey amp for busking. But you don’t really need to do anything and it sounds good.
Just went to my local music store and they have a V5. Loved the tone. It has some snap crackle and pop going on so they put it in the back room to fix it, but as soon as it’s fixed they’re calling me and I’m buying it. The simpler the amp the more I like. This should get more home play time than my Marshall origin 20c.
Shane, in your original videos I thought you had discussed the tendency for the V5s to sound darker or muddy. I noticed that you had the Tone knob cranked throughout the video. The tendency for this amp sounding darker or muddy is something I wish you would have addressed. I’ve been considering having my V5 modded to bring back a bit of brightness. I know I’d use it more if I got around to doing that. Otherwise, great video. Thanks!
Dan Ziegler it CAN lean towards the muddy side of tone. That being said, I play Teles thru it and dime the tone knob. It keeps an even balance of the dark cab and the shrill highs of Telecasters. I could see where humbuckers would sound darker on this amp.
@@DanSZiegler A cheap eq pedal fixed that problem for me...also swapped out the stock tubes for tung sols and run it through a bugera 1×12 cab...all good
Hi Shane, great review and thanks for clarification on the sound, recording chain, so we get to hear the actual amp and not an effects processor. After a lot of careful consideration, I really think this is going to be my next practice amp. It sounds really great as a blues rock amp. It works great with pedals and retains that tube sound. There are just so many great choices, but I think is the one.. thanks again and keep up the good job...
Yeah I'm a little late to the party picked one up on sale couple years ago and it's been solid.I haven't changed anything on it irun it into a custom cab with a 4ohm texas heat 12" and it's incredible,just plug the little 8" back in if i want a little combo takes pedals well I agree I love it's kinda ming blowing thru that cab,loud too
I have V22 and it gets that same rattle. I really like the amp but was going to send it down the road because of it but now I’ll just replace the tube thanks 😊
My V5 did ok with a drummer friend. Had to tweak it a bit and he was playing light but it sounded decent. We broke for dinner and came back.....I coulda swore it sounded better. Maybe that was all the appetizers.....Next time I’ll try putting the amp at waist level, forgot to do that... so imagine if this was a “loud” gig.......
I think it matters a lot what preamp tube they shipped in your V5, mine sounded flat and muddy until the Tung sol...I even used a GT 12ax7C from a Fender amp and it sounded clear and loud compared to the stock tube.
Thinking about how the stock Turbosound speaker in my V22 Infinium sounds, I think you'd be better off overall, by buying some solid state modeling combo (Katana 50 or something). I remember playing through one of these in a music store once and I wasn't really impressed with it. I remember it sounding just as flat and empty as the V22 with the stock speaker, when overdriven. I guess if you swap the speaker you could fix this and make it sound much nicer. At least for the V22 it has made a huge difference. I would love to see a speaker swap comparison with this amp.
@@Ndlanding Changing the speaker would have a much bigger impact on the overall tone than changing the preamp valves. If you want the amp to behave slightly different or just slightly want to take some edge off of it, changing the preamp tubes can do the job, but the change in the overall tone of the amp will be very minimal. I changed the Bugera stock tubes in my v22 for ehx 12AX7s, and it was actually hardly noticable. It was just a tiny bit warmer sounding. So, if you really want to make a bigger difference in tone, changing the speaker would probably be the first thing to do. If the tone really is pretty much there and you just want to make a tiny adjustement in how the amp feels, changing the preamp tubes could do the job
Turbosound may not be a household name in amplifier speakers, but if you've ever gone to a rave, I am sure you've heard em. They make excellent high end speaker systems.
I think this little amp will become a genuine classic one day when they stop being made. It only does the small-tube-amp sound, but it does the small-tube-amp sound really, really well. Great demo! I don't know if they're easily available down under, but in the US, Monoprice sells a 5W Champ-like amp for a mere $100 USD that's a lot of fun. You should check it out if you can.
I see you have the tone set really high, like I used to until I replaced the speaker with a Warehouse American Vintage G8C. Much brighter and clearer tone, in my opinion.
I’m thinking about building a 1x12 cab to hook up to the V5. Throw a Texas heat in there, quick and fairly inexpensive way to keep up with the drummer....Whatya think Shane?
I just ordered a T5 head used. Couldnt pass it up. I found some mods im gonna do, but hoping to find some more. Im shocked how well these sound. Interesting. Ill have to do a review on my T5 when i get it.
I had the 5w version that was pre infinium. sound like it had a blanket over it. Traded it for a Daphne Blue Squier Deluxe. Yours seems to sound better than I remember. If I ever see a Bugera v22 head pop up I'd probably grab it up :) However if I was in AUS I'd be getting an Artist Tweed over that little guy for sure!!
I would have liked seeing just how clean it can get at 5 watts for jazzier tone. I want a Jazz practice amp for home. It's great that it can do all the dirty and breakup kind of stuff so I don't mind that it can do that. I just wanna know how clean it is at low gain and volume. You showed it pretty briefly and I think that with my instrument, the way its set up it'll be plenty clean enough. But it'd just be cool to see how it is for Jazz players cause most of the amps that are good for Jazz have been discontinued. x.x
This is a great clean amp. I think you'd be very satisfied with it for the house/practice. I have one, and swapped the tubes and speaker...just because. Didn't need the upgrades, I just got bored, lol
Wow that sounds great. I picked up an old Peavy Valve King Royal 8 around 15 years ago, but it just doesn't seem to have enough gain to overdrive into distortion with single coil guitars... It sounds decent if I crank it it up with my Les Paul, but that kind of defeats the purpose of using a small 5w practice amp, is you still need to run it at full volume for decent tone... And is that Bugera as bad with overdrive/distortion pedals as my peavy is? My guess is these low watt valve amps just don't have the headroom to be decent pedal platforms, and unless the integrated gain circuit is agressive enough, then you just won't get much growl either unless you hit it with some humbuckers, ;)
Stan Lee. My lipstick tube pickup guitars are low output also, but I love the tones. I bought an Electro Harmonix LPB (linear power booster) pedal used for $30. It completely transforms the single coil in every amp I have including the low power amps. Wish I had bought it years ago.
Shane, you should do a montage of all your intros, they are ALL AWESOME!!! Also in a perfect world you would do a backing track for a solo challenge. But then again..... LOL
I have a modded v5, as standard it was way too dark for humbucker guitars.. was ok for my Fender Jag. Modded according to instructions on Internet it was great for my Les Paul, but got too thin sounding for single coil s! Still have it after 8 years, and would never sell it 😝
My question is…..will it sound different on a right handed guitar? Lol I got one of these when they first came out. Fairly decent little amp for the money. Gave it to my brother to practice on.
Go to local equipment store. (It's better to find this stuff used). Try it out. I know covid makes stuff hard. I own this amp and would recommend it. It's quiet enough to play in room but loud enough to play with a drummer on crunch.
Also btw, if the amp sounds good but super chime at higher gain it just needs the cage removed, the speaker tightened and the tubes replaced. Worth every penny.
I actually did find a couple of other demos that sounded similar to this one. Seems like there is not much in the way of cleans, which is alright and somewhat to be expected, but just wonering how the cleans are as well...
@@myke232 loud as needed through a larger cab unless you're playing metal or something. If you're looking for big cleans I'd recommend a cheap fender solid state. Tube amps are much less "clean" but its a matter of preference. I'd just try playing whatever you can find locally.
I'm not sure what volume Shane's bands play at, but I've used this guy live with my blues band. If you want loud clean tones, you'll need to get something else. This guy gets loud enough to gig with, but by then you're in thicker OD territory than I typically use with pedals. Maybe he got a dud, because he talked about it not being loud enough to annoy the neighbors. I had the guy half a block up the street from me call in a noise complaint when I was playing this loud in my house. Mine gets VERY loud. I did put in a Ted Weber speaker AND mine is pre-infinium. I wonder if the infinium tech lowers the output levels...?
These are no way near loud enough to compete with a band. 5 watts is loud, but not gig loud. Acoustic drums in a venue are far louder than this amp. It also comes down to the room size and so forth. There's not enough clean headroom for most players even after replacing the stock tubes with good ones.
I hate to say it, but I had one that was dark and muffled sounding except for a particular semi clean tone. I changed the power tube, but it didn’t change it much. I was bummed because it comes with good features, but we just didn’t get along lol. I’ve since realized that it was probably down to speaker size preference. You make it sound pretty decent though Shane.
I've had mine for a few years, but I admit it is too dark. After reading above, I've just sent off for an Electro-Harmonix 12AX7, at a total cost inc delivery of almost 17€, to see if it is brighter. Fingers crossed till Tuesday! It is a great wee amp, though, and the reverb is good. Looks fabby.
Ndlanding I will make a confession. I sold it to a popular store and first of all I was surprised to receive what I did for it. But when the guy tested it, I was like wait, in my mind. He just turned some knobs and with the guitar I was selling it sounded kind of nice! It was a clean tone, and I also had found an okay clean tone. I hesitated for a moment! But he is a cool guy and gave me a nice amount for it and the guitar. I used that to try yet another tube amp, a Fender PRRI with its features and a 10 inch speaker. That did the trick. So that’s why I said I think it partially came to speaker size, and how that sounds as I am not gigging right now, maybe never again. The blues Jr was just too much and the Bugera lacked some sparkle. But I think it is a decent amp. I would love to know what you think after installing the EHX tube. I put a tube store brand or jj power tube and it didn’t really do much. Let me know how it works out, that would be cool cheers
Ndlanding okay! I also might try to get another epiphone valve jr head and cab. I had one in 09. Just a volume knob and 1x12. A couple available on reverb. Not sure about it though. Thanks!
@@jasong546 Well, I put the valve in, which involved undoing 11 screws and removing the chassis. A lot of work to replace a valve, yeah? Anyway, it worked straight off, and although I didn't record the two sounds, I feel the wee Bugera is now more "present" and less boxy. It could all be in my head, though. I feel the power attenuator buggers the tone a bit, so at the *full* 5W it's loud and quite rich. Couldn't do a speaker change, as I don't have any that take cables (all soldered in), so that's for another day. I believe a 12" would make it come truly alive, but the impedence might also change its nature, with a pair of 16 ohm jobbies.
Bit late to this party but I’ve been looking at these recently A. For the price B. Because it’s a tube amp Seems like a no brainer for me as I want something small for my bedroom. Why on earth haven’t I come across these amps before
Hi! Thank you for the video! Just considering if I should by it or not - need something tubed and cheap)) Did you try it with Ibanez Tubes Screamer, and if yes - is it possible to play metal?)
It does blues, classic rock and indie/alternative rock well and even better with a tube screamer. But for metal tones, especially high gain and modern ones, you will additionally need a high-quality distortion or overdrive pedal. A Boss Mt-2 Metal Zone or something similar will do the trick.
Great demo as usual , how would this amp stack up against a Fender Vibro champ xd. It’s the amp I currently have, but I’m always on the lookout for something better, I lean towards the blues Hendrix SRV.
Loving the sound but can You play live with it? I play on a church for a thousand people every weekend. Currently I've got a vt120 vox valvetronix but I would love to go for valve amps
Get the V22 (2 x el84s) 1 x 12 spkr, great clean channel for pedals & has an fx loop mate... If you want louder, more headroom the V50 (2 x 6L6) is gd too... & probably better for large venues. I've got the V22 & it easily keeps up with our drummer. Oh they both have ext cab & line outs.
I record with my V5 all the time. The secret I've found is to swap the preamp tube to a 12AY7 which is usually a much cleaner ( more headroom for cleans) sound. A good JJ or Tung sol in the power section. Also use a nice little EQ pedal to dial on more hight and lows. I run mine through a 112 cabinet with a WGS speaker and it gets as nice tones as my DR.Z. for that class A valve sound these amps in a studio setting are a steal. The potential for great tube tones is limitless. It's the best deal around even just as a head. Bless
The EQ pedal alone is probably sufficient.
Time Codes added:
0:00 - Backing track Jam
1:25 - Amplifier Overview
3:16 - Clean Tones
3:35 - Off-Clean Tones
4:49 - Crunch Tones
5:40 - Gain all the way up
6:36 - Clean tones with a Volume Boost Pedal (Mr Boost)
7:52 - Volume Boost & Delay Pedal
8:14 - Overdrive Pedal (Carerra Overdrive)
9:12 - PureSalem Mendiola Electric Guitar - Mini Humbucker
11:18 - Power Attenuation (5 Watts, 1 Watts, 0.1 Watts)
14:35 - My final thoughts
Buy the amp here online:
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✅amzn.to/2TcEHzG (Canada)
✅amzn.to/2XyFHg0 (UK)
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how did you change the tube? I have try to remove the tube but it looks like they are not changeable. They are glued and impossible to put out in my experience.
I absolutely love mine! I regrettably got rid of my original model years ago and your video a while ago inspired me to get a newer one.
It’s obviously great in the bedroom but I gig with it also in a couple different breweries and clubs. I play Telecasters thru it along with my trio consisting of electric bass and Washboard/percussion player. It definitely holds its own in the noisier venues I play. I play fairly clean with a little dirt and no pedals. I love it more each gig.
Thank you for the re-review!
I've had my two V5 version 1's for over a decade and they're still going strong. I use one for blowing harp in my blues band and it has just enough power to compete with the rest of the band. However, I do run it like a head into a cab with a 12" Weber speaker. The other one is my home practice amp next to my stereo for jamming along with CDs.
Uh, hell yes these get loud enough to annoy neighbors. I've had the cops called on me more than once for cranking it after 10pm! LOL
Andrew Howe I’m a Blues Harp player, was wondering how it work with Harp
Was it - is it stock or change out the tubes.
Thanks for adding to the post
i love how you played "got to get better in a little while" on the high gain distortion . savage
I picked one up when they were new, with the blue light, and have been really happy with it for the last 10 years.
Is Bugera a good brand? Do you like the sound just curious?
@@richardx4456 Not sure what a good Brand really means. Marshal, Fender and Vox all have some pretty lousy amps and some great ones. Bugera is part of Behringer which is a huge company.
Anyway, like I said, I've had my V5 for 10 years and I've never not been happy with it. I've owned Fender, Marshal, Vox, Rivera, Crate, and Orange amps. And I've liked most all of them. There are a lot of good amps out there. The reason I like Bugera is that it was low cost, has been very reliable, and it actually sounds great. This amp also takes pedals very well, which was important to me as this is a at home practice amp. Nice too that it has an attenuator. If I go back to playing out, I'd likely buy the V22 and use it as a great clean tone to run my pedals through.
Always interesting to look back on these older reviews and place them in the current context. I had a V5 until recently and this re-review reminded me why I no longer have it: no sparkle in the clean tone. I tried several things (short of an EQ pedal, since it kind of offended my sensibilities to get a pedal that cost half what the amp did to try to fix a basic characteristic of the amp) and just couldn’t get anything that didn’t sound muddy. For a small, inexpensive practice amp with at least some true tube character, it’s not bad, but the Blackstar HT-5R I have now is a true bargain even at twice the price of the Bugera. Thanks as always for your great content, Shane!
Super useful comment. Listening to this amp I was thinking exactly what you said. No sparkle. Kinda muddy. Not my jam at all. What I really want is the tone of a black face Princeton. Might have to bight bullet and just buy a real one.
It's funny how different people can perceive the same thing differently, I found the clean tone on mine to be really excellent, perfect for a strat on the middle+neck pickup position. I will agree that humbucker guitars sound muddy through this amp though.
Good demo.
I own this amp. Sounds great for the price and it takes pedals surprisingly well. Attenuator is a useful feature.
Underrated company..
Good, good... Keeps prices low to get our grabby hands on boutique looking, great sounding amps.
Terrific review. Very, very informative. It's how all reviews should be.
Well done, guv.
I just picked one up at a pawn shop it looks brand new it sounds fantastic
I just got one of these and it's killer! Great for my home situation, lovely warm sound, takes pedals well, love it!
This is exactly what I wanted to see! Thanks a lot I always find your videos super informative.
It sounds great but I feel like it's so hard to base a gear choice off of a youtube video. You've gotta get in the store and play it for yourself to really know if you like it.
Awesome vid regardless, you killed it man!
Sweet merciful J! That surprised me! The f'n tone!!
As always, a solid review.
This be one of the only channels I view vids all the way through.
Slainte
P.S. I dig how expressive you are in your reviews. It is obvious you are enjoying the amp. One can really feel the honesty in the review.
I owned Vox, but now have a V5 and V22 in the big mancave. Love em.
Much better review quality Shane, you killed it brother.
Just got one of these, did the Celestion speaker and Tung sol mods....really sweet now! Sounds best on 5 watt mode cranked to 7 or 8 on gain, tone, volume. They need to make a 10 watt version with a 12 inch speaker, everything else the same....
How much did you pay mate?
@@richardx4456 $200 new in box
Ehx tubes and a eminence 820H in this thing opens this amp up. It's nice factory, it's awesome with the upgrades
I see this comment is 2 years old but wanted to ask a question about the Eminence Patriot 820h. I am thinking of buying this speaker to out in this amp exactly as you did. Do you feel as though the amp has enough bass response with this swap? The demos I have heard seem to have no bass or just fizz when the low string is hit. Can you let me know how this 820h speaker is working out with this amp?
Thanks so much
Bought mine after your first couple vids on this unit . Have had it for a year or so , absolutely love it ... Thanks Shane .
Glad you did this one as I recall the original one and had hoped it would've fared better to your critique even should valve replacements be necessary. This adds clarity to your thoughts on the little amp, such that I can now put it back into consideration as an economical alternative for a next combo.
Yeah, this is better than the other video. This time there's more time on pedals to show it's capabilities. I'm headed back to the pawnshop to buy it!
These are great little amps. I had one of the first ones back in 2009. Non-Infinium and no Tubosound. Hated to get rid of it, but needed to. Sometimes wish I had it back. Thanks for the memories. BTW they were 149 bucks back then!
I bought my V5 awhile ago because of your first review and I am glad that I did Thanks Shane.
I liked mine, but I had to use a tube screamer whenever I used humbuckers. Just too muddy for me without it. Loved it with the teles though. Ended up using it in a trade to get a katana. The store is selling it for what they gave me for it, so I might get it back if I just have to have the tube sound again.
Would have been the speaker! The old 1 was very DARK sounding!
The parallel capacitor for the tone control will resolve this (see my post in this comments section).
Did you stick with the Katana (I’m deciding between the V5 or a katana)?
What a great review....As someone who loves to play electric guitar but now has ears that need protecting this amp will be ideal...Thank you.
We have a V22 Infinium, superb amplifier, does everything and great with pedals. The 12" Turbosound speaker is very good.
Hey Shane Am I the only one complaining about this amp? I bought it in 2016 after watching your previous review and I was so disapointed that I sold it a couple of month later. What a dark and boxy sounding amp! .... I was expecting a lot of the power attenuator for silence practicing but it makes the sound so flat.... My tiny little blackstar Fly 3 sounds much better and fuller at bedroom level...
in 2017 sorry
do you usually prefer SS amps?
I agree that it's really dark, even upgraded the speaker on my version 1. It's sat in the closet for about 10 years. @jason I bought the monoprice 15w 12" for 130usd and it runs circles around this amp.
Just your preference, I guess. I love mine, but then I'm not into too glassy. Have many other amps that can give me a much brighter sound, and Bugera V5 being this simple amp can't be Jack of all trades. No intention of selling mine.
I was curious about this one but it sounds really compressed to my ears. Thanks for doing this Shane!
This little amp rocks!!! If you want a small practice amp and you also want a tubes, this amp, along with the Marshall Class 5 line, is a great option. Thanks for revisiting this amp Shane!!!! Cheers!🤙🏾🤙🏾🤙🏾🎸🎸🎸🎸
This thing is great with the BE-OD. I love it.
its the greatest pedal amp i own. and of course great cranked. and its loud.
I wish someone would do a thorough comparison of the Turbosound speakers vs Celestion speakers
I agree, I would like to hear this amp through a better speaker.
Picking mine up tomorrow..new practice amp..great demo
Thanks so much for the power attenuation demo, smart way to do it and it answered a big question for me.
I have the original version. At first, it struck me as overly dark and muddy, especially with humbucker guitars. However, as I experimented with pedals, I found the Joyo American, AC Tone and British Sound series of pedals, with separate bass, mid and treble tone controls, overcame the darkness issue. What should I expect from a basic, one channel tube amp with only a single 'tone' control? With a little boost to the incoming signal, and some eq tweaking, this amp becomes a tone beast....with no mods or tube changes. So, this little Bugera amp has resurrected itself as a great at home amp for this hobbyist.
Well I'll have to disagree with most people here and say I think it sounds great, not overly loud but still I like the tone. I'd much prefer this to some modeling amp.
Ironically, my Bugera V5 sits right on top of my Fender Mustang III modelling amp. You can have the best of both worlds, you know.
This is the amp you mention that would be perfect for home use, I like the .1 watt , you can just crank it I guess and still get that creamy saturated sound and for the money you cannot beat it
VERY good for in-the-home use. Still sounds good at lower watt settings, although I do end up tweaking the knobs when I switch the attenuation.
this is the best i've heard it sound, great job
Great review man. It’s always fun to play gear that you just can’t find the heart to get rid of and realize why LOL! 🤙🏻😎🎸
Great review! I just bought a Bugera G5 Infinium head, and I'm really looking forward to getting it.
Hey Shane, Bugera should give you shares man! I ordered my v5 infinium today due to your videos! I was looking at the vox ac4 but the bugera just kept calling to me!
Very nicely done, Shane. And there's something about left-handed guitarists...
Thanks for the review! Sold an Infinium and actually bought another cause I missed it🤘
Great Demo , would be a great amp for Blues - Harp playing , I would highly recommend a 5 watt BLACKHEART little Giant tube amp with a 12 inch speaker ! - its an awesome poor mans Mini Marshall ! sadly Blackheart has been discontinued .
My Bugera V5 is my gigging harp amp. I put a 12au7 in there. Works like a charm, but only if I can keep the band volume under control. I basically use it as a way to know if the band is getting too loud. When I start getting buried, I tell the team to dial it back, and we get a good mix that doesn't blow out the ears of the audience.
however, it's simply not loud enough to really compete with a full band. If you have a loud band or need cleaner tones loud, you'll want to go with a 15 watter.
I love mine. I have had it for a number of years. I think it was $249 when I got it. I also have a T5 which is the night train clone. Very nice too.
I played one of these in a Guitar Center a few years back but forgot what it was. I would have bought one for practicing if I remembered, not a bad sounding little practice amp. I have since picked up a Carr Super Bee which fits the bill, but if I ever need a small amp that I'm not afraid to leave somewhere when I go to the bathroom, I'd still pick one of these up.
I have the earlier models of the V5.
I changed out the speaker and put in an Eminence patriot. Love this amp. Doesn't sound too dark anymore and love to play it with Humbuckers.
I know your comment is 2 years old but I'd love to ask you about the Eminence Patriot. I am thinking about doing this exact swap, and using this amp with a strat, Tele and LP for bedroom use. Did you loose bottom end/bass with the Eminence Patriot 820h?
@@jc6721,it really helped bringing the amp to life in my opinion.
I mainly use Humbuckers and now I am able to stop cranking the tone knob to 10. I don't think it lost its low end at all. Sounds great and definitely worth changing out the speaker.
@@jamesmarcin4787 thanks man I really appreciate the information.
Sweet re-review! I was wondering how yours was holding up. I’ve had mine for a year or two and it’s great! It cost me $149 us new and I put some Sovtek tubes and a used Celestion g8l 35 speaker. I got the speaker out of an old Crate SS amp. I just played three hours at a live venue and everyone said it sounded mint (miked through the PA).They seem to be a great amp to me? I’ve also got a Tiny Terror and an Alamo Challenger. I mostly use the Bugera though...The Turbosound isn’t bad so I made a small cab for it and use it with a Smokey amp for busking. But you don’t really need to do anything and it sounds good.
Just went to my local music store and they have a V5. Loved the tone. It has some snap crackle and pop going on so they put it in the back room to fix it, but as soon as it’s fixed they’re calling me and I’m buying it. The simpler the amp the more I like. This should get more home play time than my Marshall origin 20c.
That things sounds great for the $ ! Nice demo as always mate ! Cheers !
Shane, in your original videos I thought you had discussed the tendency for the V5s to sound darker or muddy. I noticed that you had the Tone knob cranked throughout the video. The tendency for this amp sounding darker or muddy is something I wish you would have addressed. I’ve been considering having my V5 modded to bring back a bit of brightness. I know I’d use it more if I got around to doing that. Otherwise, great video. Thanks!
Dan Ziegler it CAN lean towards the muddy side of tone. That being said, I play Teles thru it and dime the tone knob. It keeps an even balance of the dark cab and the shrill highs of Telecasters. I could see where humbuckers would sound darker on this amp.
Mike Scrivens Come to think of it, I’ve not tried my Teles through my V5. Thanks - I’ll give it a try!
@@DanSZiegler A cheap eq pedal fixed that problem for me...also swapped out the stock tubes for tung sols and run it through a bugera 1×12 cab...all good
thanks for the review, I'd be happy to buy it now. Would have liked to have heard it through a cab too
I just picked one up for $80, loving it
Hi Shane, great review and thanks for clarification on the sound, recording chain, so we get to hear the actual amp and not an effects processor. After a lot of careful consideration, I really think this is going to be my next practice amp. It sounds really great as a blues rock amp. It works great with pedals and retains that tube sound. There are just so many great choices, but I think is the one.. thanks again and keep up the good job...
I did the treble blead mod on mine and wow. $4 and it becomes a very good little amp that you can use without blowing the windows out
Guys, see my comment above with a pic how to do it.
Yeah I'm a little late to the party picked one up on sale couple years ago and it's been solid.I haven't changed anything on it irun it into a custom cab with a 4ohm texas heat 12" and it's incredible,just plug the little 8" back in if i want a little combo takes pedals well I agree I love it's kinda ming blowing thru that cab,loud too
Muddy, hope mine with JJ,s is not😮
I have V22 and it gets that same rattle. I really like the amp but was going to send it down the road because of it but now I’ll just replace the tube thanks 😊
My V5 did ok with a drummer friend. Had to tweak it a bit and he was playing light but it sounded decent. We broke for dinner and came back.....I coulda swore it sounded better. Maybe that was all the appetizers.....Next time I’ll try putting the amp at waist level, forgot to do that... so imagine if this was a “loud” gig.......
I think it matters a lot what preamp tube they shipped in your V5, mine sounded flat and muddy until the Tung sol...I even used a GT 12ax7C from a Fender amp and it sounded clear and loud compared to the stock tube.
That's a great sounding little amp and it would be interesting to hear it through your 2x12 too 👌
The problem is that the combo needs 4 Ohm (speaker impedance). That might be different with the head.
Thinking about how the stock Turbosound speaker in my V22 Infinium sounds, I think you'd be better off overall, by buying some solid state modeling combo (Katana 50 or something).
I remember playing through one of these in a music store once and I wasn't really impressed with it. I remember it sounding just as flat and empty as the V22 with the stock speaker, when overdriven. I guess if you swap the speaker you could fix this and make it sound much nicer. At least for the V22 it has made a huge difference. I would love to see a speaker swap comparison with this amp.
I had an old 1, the speaker was dark as!
Plugged into my 1X12 LORANTZ it was as clear as day!
@@DMSProduktions About to change the 12AX7 valve in mine, but I really ought to try it with an alternative to the Bugera speaker.
Both GOOD moves! However, IF you want MORE headroom out of it, (it doesn't have much) go a lower gain preamp valve!
Try an AU7 or AT7!
@@Ndlanding Changing the speaker would have a much bigger impact on the overall tone than changing the preamp valves. If you want the amp to behave slightly different or just slightly want to take some edge off of it, changing the preamp tubes can do the job, but the change in the overall tone of the amp will be very minimal. I changed the Bugera stock tubes in my v22 for ehx 12AX7s, and it was actually hardly noticable. It was just a tiny bit warmer sounding. So, if you really want to make a bigger difference in tone, changing the speaker would probably be the first thing to do.
If the tone really is pretty much there and you just want to make a tiny adjustement in how the amp feels, changing the preamp tubes could do the job
I have both, no doubt the Katana is the better choice.
Have one love its controllable growl !
Running my pre-infinium V5 into a Peavey112 cab with Celestion Vintage 30 and it sounds great for jamming at home.
Awesome video! I absolutely love this amp. Thank you for posting the re-review. 🤘😎👍
Turbosound may not be a household name in amplifier speakers, but if you've ever gone to a rave, I am sure you've heard em. They make excellent high end speaker systems.
I think this little amp will become a genuine classic one day when they stop being made. It only does the small-tube-amp sound, but it does the small-tube-amp sound really, really well. Great demo! I don't know if they're easily available down under, but in the US, Monoprice sells a 5W Champ-like amp for a mere $100 USD that's a lot of fun. You should check it out if you can.
They won't sell here now after MY debacle with the 15 watter! NO power support and broken in transit cabinet!
Great amp brilliant chops mate
I see you have the tone set really high, like I used to until I replaced the speaker with a Warehouse American Vintage G8C. Much brighter and clearer tone, in my opinion.
Great video !!! I aslo love my v5. What about a video on v5 possible mods ?
Very helpful review!
Little known fact : This amp was the secret to SRVs incredible tone. 🎸😜
🤣😂😅😄😃😁😀😃😂😂🤣😅🤡🤓🤔😮
Everybody knows that! Combined with his plastic hat.
Ow that’s a contender-thank you!
Nice. I'm probably gonna make a move for this. I have been looking for a silent bedroom valve amp.
I’m thinking about building a 1x12 cab to hook up to the V5. Throw a Texas heat in there, quick and fairly inexpensive way to keep up with the drummer....Whatya think Shane?
I just ordered a T5 head used. Couldnt pass it up. I found some mods im gonna do, but hoping to find some more. Im shocked how well these sound. Interesting. Ill have to do a review on my T5 when i get it.
Oh yeah I like your Knopfler poster in the background ;-)
I have Bugera 333X212 Infinium I really like it. I want to buy the Bugera V22 which I think is a great amp like the Bugera V5
Got this new for 165, put on a celestion 8 and electro Harmonix tubes. Completely changed the amp. 210 for a kick ass amp
I like how you think 110db isn't loud enough to annoy the neighbours, yet I can clearly hear next door's TV and it's not even cranked lol.
Right? 92db is not "conversation level". That's more like the ~60db range. He was right in saying 0.1W is necessary for apartments for sure.
I love my Fender Champ 600, but they don't make it anymore. So I suggest the Bugera V5 to people for a nice bedroom tube amp.
I had to change the EL84 2 months after I got this amp. It started to have a crackling sound.
I had the 5w version that was pre infinium. sound like it had a blanket over it. Traded it for a Daphne Blue Squier Deluxe. Yours seems to sound better than I remember. If I ever see a Bugera v22 head pop up I'd probably grab it up :) However if I was in AUS I'd be getting an Artist Tweed over that little guy for sure!!
I would have liked seeing just how clean it can get at 5 watts for jazzier tone.
I want a Jazz practice amp for home.
It's great that it can do all the dirty and breakup kind of stuff so I don't mind that it can do that. I just wanna know how clean it is at low gain and volume.
You showed it pretty briefly and I think that with my instrument, the way its set up it'll be plenty clean enough.
But it'd just be cool to see how it is for Jazz players cause most of the amps that are good for Jazz have been discontinued. x.x
This is a great clean amp. I think you'd be very satisfied with it for the house/practice. I have one, and swapped the tubes and speaker...just because. Didn't need the upgrades, I just got bored, lol
Yeah, this amp has a great clean. Nice reverb, and the OD is there too if you dial the gain up.
3:16
Hardly a 'practice' amp! It's LOUD for a practice amp!
Good job Shane!
A per-amp tube swap makes the V5 easier to manage in a bedroom.
Low gain will give it more headroom.
Wow that sounds great. I picked up an old Peavy Valve King Royal 8 around 15 years ago, but it just doesn't seem to have enough gain to overdrive into distortion with single coil guitars... It sounds decent if I crank it it up with my Les Paul, but that kind of defeats the purpose of using a small 5w practice amp, is you still need to run it at full volume for decent tone... And is that Bugera as bad with overdrive/distortion pedals as my peavy is? My guess is these low watt valve amps just don't have the headroom to be decent pedal platforms, and unless the integrated gain circuit is agressive enough, then you just won't get much growl either unless you hit it with some humbuckers, ;)
Stan Lee. My lipstick tube pickup guitars are low output also, but I love the tones. I bought an Electro Harmonix LPB (linear power booster) pedal used for $30. It completely transforms the single coil in every amp I have including the low power amps. Wish I had bought it years ago.
@@barbmelle3136 Yeah! Me, I use an ancient MXR micro amp. Brings guitars to life, especially at the start of a few pedals.
great job as always ... makes me think i should have grabbed 1 of these back in the day .. :D
Shane, you should do a montage of all your intros, they are ALL AWESOME!!! Also in a perfect world you would do a backing track for a solo challenge. But then again..... LOL
I have a modded v5, as standard it was way too dark for humbucker guitars.. was ok for my Fender Jag.
Modded according to instructions on Internet it was great for my Les Paul, but got too thin sounding for single coil s!
Still have it after 8 years, and would never sell it 😝
Thanks for this very interesting video.
How much is the hum/background noise of this amplifier?
It would have been great to have heard dome clean tones while chording with a Strat or something.
My question is…..will it sound different on a right handed guitar? Lol
I got one of these when they first came out. Fairly decent little amp for the money. Gave it to my brother to practice on.
The amp sounds pretty decent in this demo, however most other demos are a bit underwhelimg, so not sure what to think...
Go to local equipment store. (It's better to find this stuff used). Try it out. I know covid makes stuff hard. I own this amp and would recommend it. It's quiet enough to play in room but loud enough to play with a drummer on crunch.
Also btw, if the amp sounds good but super chime at higher gain it just needs the cage removed, the speaker tightened and the tubes replaced. Worth every penny.
I actually did find a couple of other demos that sounded similar to this one. Seems like there is not much in the way of cleans, which is alright and somewhat to be expected, but just wonering how the cleans are as well...
@@myke232 loud as needed through a larger cab unless you're playing metal or something. If you're looking for big cleans I'd recommend a cheap fender solid state. Tube amps are much less "clean" but its a matter of preference. I'd just try playing whatever you can find locally.
And this demo sounds good because this guy can mic his amps correctly.
I'm not sure what volume Shane's bands play at, but I've used this guy live with my blues band. If you want loud clean tones, you'll need to get something else. This guy gets loud enough to gig with, but by then you're in thicker OD territory than I typically use with pedals.
Maybe he got a dud, because he talked about it not being loud enough to annoy the neighbors. I had the guy half a block up the street from me call in a noise complaint when I was playing this loud in my house.
Mine gets VERY loud. I did put in a Ted Weber speaker AND mine is pre-infinium. I wonder if the infinium tech lowers the output levels...?
These are no way near loud enough to compete with a band. 5 watts is loud, but not gig loud. Acoustic drums in a venue are far louder than this amp. It also comes down to the room size and so forth. There's not enough clean headroom for most players even after replacing the stock tubes with good ones.
I hate to say it, but I had one that was dark and muffled sounding except for a particular semi clean tone. I changed the power tube, but it didn’t change it much. I was bummed because it comes with good features, but we just didn’t get along lol. I’ve since realized that it was probably down to speaker size preference. You make it sound pretty decent though Shane.
I've had mine for a few years, but I admit it is too dark. After reading above, I've just sent off for an Electro-Harmonix 12AX7, at a total cost inc delivery of almost 17€, to see if it is brighter. Fingers crossed till Tuesday! It is a great wee amp, though, and the reverb is good. Looks fabby.
Ndlanding I will make a confession. I sold it to a popular store and first of all I was surprised to receive what I did for it. But when the guy tested it, I was like wait, in my mind. He just turned some knobs and with the guitar I was selling it sounded kind of nice! It was a clean tone, and I also had found an okay clean tone. I hesitated for a moment! But he is a cool guy and gave me a nice amount for it and the guitar. I used that to try yet another tube amp, a Fender PRRI with its features and a 10 inch speaker. That did the trick. So that’s why I said I think it partially came to speaker size, and how that sounds as I am not gigging right now, maybe never again. The blues Jr was just too much and the Bugera lacked some sparkle. But I think it is a decent amp. I would love to know what you think after installing the EHX tube. I put a tube store brand or jj power tube and it didn’t really do much. Let me know how it works out, that would be cool cheers
@@jasong546 Tube should be here on Tuesday or so, and I'll let you know how it sounds. I'll also try it with another speaker.
Ndlanding okay! I also might try to get another epiphone valve jr head and cab. I had one in 09. Just a volume knob and 1x12. A couple available on reverb. Not sure about it though. Thanks!
@@jasong546 Well, I put the valve in, which involved undoing 11 screws and removing the chassis. A lot of work to replace a valve, yeah? Anyway, it worked straight off, and although I didn't record the two sounds, I feel the wee Bugera is now more "present" and less boxy. It could all be in my head, though. I feel the power attenuator buggers the tone a bit, so at the *full* 5W it's loud and quite rich. Couldn't do a speaker change, as I don't have any that take cables (all soldered in), so that's for another day. I believe a 12" would make it come truly alive, but the impedence might also change its nature, with a pair of 16 ohm jobbies.
Bit late to this party but I’ve been looking at these recently A. For the price B. Because it’s a tube amp
Seems like a no brainer for me as I want something small for my bedroom.
Why on earth haven’t I come across these amps before
Great review Shane.
Ovevthe channel.
I was shocked 295.00 AU including tax he in the UK what a bargain Thanks Shane
Welcome to the arse RAPE capital of the world!
What? That's insane for that amp.
LOL! Insane for you perhaps!
@@shanemiller2046 the price it is cheap if look at a fender blues junior £379.00 get it
@@DMSProduktions you will have to save :-)
Thanks! So which one in your opinion is the best choise to play blues at home - HB Tube 5, HB Mighty 5th or this one?
Hi! Thank you for the video! Just considering if I should by it or not - need something tubed and cheap))
Did you try it with Ibanez Tubes Screamer, and if yes - is it possible to play metal?)
It does blues, classic rock and indie/alternative rock well and even better with a tube screamer. But for metal tones, especially high gain and modern ones, you will additionally need a high-quality distortion or overdrive pedal. A Boss Mt-2 Metal Zone or something similar will do the trick.
@@americanstreamer1910 thank you so much ! I just love this amp now😍😀🔥
Great demo as usual , how would this amp stack up against a Fender Vibro champ xd. It’s the amp I currently have, but I’m always on the lookout for something better, I lean towards the blues Hendrix SRV.
Loving the sound but can You play live with it? I play on a church for a thousand people every weekend. Currently I've got a vt120 vox valvetronix but I would love to go for valve amps
Get the V22 (2 x el84s) 1 x 12 spkr, great clean channel for pedals & has an fx loop mate...
If you want louder, more headroom the V50 (2 x 6L6) is gd too... & probably better for large venues.
I've got the V22 & it easily keeps up with our drummer.
Oh they both have ext cab & line outs.