Bugera V22 Infinium Review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 31 พ.ค. 2024
- This is my in-depth review of the Bugera V22 Infinium. It's been my primary home amp for a few years and is featured on many videos on my channel. In this video I demo the amp with three different guitars - a Les Paul, a Strat, my Ibanez Artcore that I use in all my solo jazz guitar videos. The audio is exactly as recorded, no touching up whatsoever. In other videos I do fiddle with EQ after recording, but here I wanted to present the raw audio as a "starting point." It's definitely not bad at all. Please let me know your thoughts. Enjoy.
0:00 - Intro
1:40 - Specs
6:07 - Les Paul
16:06 - Strat
22:48 - Artcore
25:37 - Problems with the amp
33:20 - Final Thoughts
Gibson Les Paul Traditional Pro
Fender Texas Special Fat Strat
Ibanez Artcore with Seymour Duncan Seth Lover Pickups
Analogue Man Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer
Bugera V22 Infinium
Sennheiser E609
Garageband
Sony HDR-455CX
Check out my other reviews/demos:
Fender Elite Telecaster - • Fender ELITE Telecaste...
Wampler Sovereign Distortion - • Wampler Sovereign Dist...
Seymour Duncan Seth Lover Pickups - • Seymour Duncan SETH LO...
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I guess I was lucky that I’ve not had the vibration issues that you were talking about. After I replaced the tubes with matched sets of higher quality tubes (and after I had a few hours of playing on the new tubes) it really came to life. I use several pedals with mine but, I don’t use the effects loop, I just run them in to the front and I’ve had extremely good results. I also have a Vox ac15c2-12 that will get considerably louder and, I would use it if I’m playing a larger room. The Bugera takes certain pedals better than the Vox, especially my Big Muff Pi. They both take almost all of my pedals well and, for the price, the Bugera is a steal.
god damn this is the best demo I have seen on this amp, considering getting one ! thank you good sir :)
Glad to hear it! Thank you so much!
Saw this, and several other videos…and ordered Bugera V22…just because this “dry” trebly cleans when playing single coils. Unbelievable price. With a double price and Fender logo on it it would be a huge bestseller. :)
I bought one today that has been used and abused and it is fantastic. I always had the 212 Hot Rod Devils and can no longer pay the crazy prices they demand. Sorry to say that this little beat-up cheapy is the closest one out there to the sound I have become used to. Should it die I will be after a new V55. But for now, this is great.
Great and honest review. I liked how you focused on the tones and usage of this amp. I have seen other reviews, but this demonstrated it better than most.
Thank you very much!
Part 2 of your "Intro to Fingerstyle Guitar" video pointed me to this video. Until today I wasn't aware of the Bugera V22 Infinium amp. One year in the future or longer I plan on buying a tube amp, as I currently don't have the guitar skills to justify a tube amp. I'm a beginner hobbyist guitarist that uses a THR10C solid-state amp. Because of your Bugera V22 Infinium review I added the amp to my Sweetwater wish list.
Those Yamaha "desktop" amps are actually pretty cool, but from the sounds of it the Bugera would be a perfect fit for your first tube amp. It's simple to use, pretty much always sounds great and gets the job done either as a professional or hobbyist.
@@jjthomchickmusic I forgot to mention that, like you, I live in an apartment, which is another reason why I'm holding off moving from a solid-state to a tube amp. I appreciated that you talked a bit about how you use the Bugera v22 in your apartment without bothering your neighbors.
Great review. Greetings from Ireland. Thanks for being so comprehensive with it.
Glad it was helpful, cheers!
Great and thorough review! Thank you
Glad it was helpful, thanks for watching!
Just got one on eBay and I'm really looking forward to playing through it. The tones sound amazing for an amp at this price. Thanks for your video - it really helped me decide. The fact that your issues were all physical means a lot, if you see what I mean. It's the tone I want. You even make me want to play jazz 😂
I'm glad my review was helpful! Yes, the tone alone is definitely worth it. If you want to play jazz I've got videos for that too 😉
Nice and honest review, thanks for sharing !
My pleasure, thanks for watching!
Great review, I love the clean tones.
Thank you!
I picked this amp up on Craig's List last night. It sounds just like this Demo. I can't imagine what I'd want from a more expensive amp sound-wise. This thing sounds terrific even at low volume. I took that metal tube cover off by unscrewing the speaker and moving it over. Someone else mentioned you can unscrew the amp portion and slide it out to get the tube cover off.
Congrats on picking it up, and glad to hear you're enjoying it! Yes, unscrewing the speaker has to be the solution, but it's too late for me, haha. Thanks for sharing!
due to its great clean channel its an awesome pedal platform, specially if modulation effects are played through the effects loop, great for shoegaze
This amp sounds great cranked!
The louder the better!
Thanks .... great review .... looks like we have a similar guitar collection and musical taste .... I think it's time to buy either this or the 55 watt ....
Great minds think alike! Glad you enjoyed the review.
It's still working fine after all these years but I don't use it with the footswitch as I'm not gigging at present.
Mine was the original Bluelight version after they fixed the bug in that series of amps
Thank you for the in-depth review. At the very end you touched on it being good for quiet late night sessions, which is what I plan to do. Would you say the tone is acceptable at normal bedroom TV volumes, about 60-70db? I would be getting my overdrive/distortion from pedals so cranking it isn't a concern. I'm assuming you stay on the triode setting for night time as well.
My pleasure, thank you for watching! Yes, the clean tones are outstanding at any volume. Late at night I'm usually on amp volume 3, guitar knob volume 7-8. I actually have been keeping it on pentode at all times, just sounds a little fuller - especially at low volumes. Hope this helps!
I actually sold my Vox and bought one of these because like the controls on the front, unlike the Vox. Yes. The first thing I did was toss the tube cage. And I haven't had any of the rattling problems you mentioned. But I love the tone of this amp.
Glad it's working out for you!
I was about to buy the combo but then I happened to come across a v22 head and bugera 2x12 cab and it's incredible! If you have the extra cash definitely go for the 2 piece!
Thanks for sharing!
I like how you end that little E progression with G/A--I'm stealing that one.
Thanks, good ears - go right ahead, haha.
@@jjthomchickmusic I just ordered one so thanks for the honest review.
@@denton428 Nice!! I'm very glad you found my review helpful. Hope the amp serves you well!
Yeah a Mid Boost Footswitch is a MUST!! Sounds great 👍
Glad you agree, thanks!!
One of the original Chinese el84 tubes rattled in my amp so I replaced them with JJ tubes. After a couple of weeks with the new JJ tubes and having my amp tilted back the JJ tubes started making a funny rattling type noise but it sounds fine when it is on a level surface now.
GigMan Drew Ha, interesting, your solution was opposite of mine. I mean I know all tube amps make some extra noise, but when I was recording very exposed solo jazz stuff it was really noticeable. When recording tracks or playing with a band it wouldn’t be noticeable.
Well done !
Thank you!
I'm going to get one of these soon as a pedal platform!
Awesome, enjoy! It takes most pedals well. If you add an overdrive to the dirty channel it can oversaturate at times, but overall it's pretty good.
Great demo, quite comprehensive. The mid-boost sounds honky and muddy to me. I can see how it might cut through a mix but alone I don't find it pleasing. I like the mid boost from a Tube Screamer much more. They must be at different frequencies. I took the speaker out to remove the tube cage. I replaced the first position tube with a JJ and the dirty channel was much less fizzy, especially at higher settings.
Thanks for your input!
This is good. Most other reviews they use pedals or it's just cranked with metal on the treble pickup and sounds like every other amp.
Had this amp for a year now, and I'm very happy with it! But the foot switch should've incorporated the mid boost.
Completely agree, hope they can figure out how to do that.
I found this while I was wondering how to remove the tubes protection (minute 29:00). For changing tubes and removing easily the protection cage I think the only safe way is by removing the amp (4 screws on the top, the bigger ones) and 4 screws in line on the Amp edge (back). When the amp is apart from the rest other 8 small screws for removing the cage. This is the way I did It. No more than 10 minutes and two screwdrivers.
Interesting, thanks for sharing. That's a little more work than I would have thought been necessary just to change the tubes, but if you were successful then it's good to know.
Im sold. Im pickin this up asap. My question is and i realise this vid is like a yr old but i hope you still answer. Does it always buzz that loudly or is bcuz of the mic being right against the speaker and its pickin it up real well? Im still gettin it just wonderin. Great real world video man!
I think the buzz is pretty normal compared to most amps, but it depends on the room, outlets, pedals, other electronics, etc. The buzz in the video is from the mic location, plus my vocal mic causes a slight echo. Also, I was turned up pretty loud for this video. Normally I play at a reasonable volume and most of the time don't even notice the buzz.
I like the tone of these amps. I don't own one. I mostly play Fenders, even for hard rock and metal when I play that. A Bassman, Bassbreaker, or Princeton can sound amazing with a good fuzz pedal. Nothing beats Fender cleans and they make great pedal platforms. They're also very well made. I never had an issue with a Fender amp. I had a LOT of problems with a Marshall stack I used in the 80s which drove me to buying a Boogie combo. Great amp. But for the most part it's been Fenders for me, occasionally a Peavey like the Classic 50 or 30. I prefere 15 to thirty watts. More than that and it's too blaring. I love focus in my sound.
Thanks for sharing!
Hey what's that sweet jazzy tune you've played with the Ibanez Artcore?
Thank you! That was honestly just something I came up with on the spot (after a few takes.) You might say it's "Days of Wine and Roses" or "Have You Met Miss Jones" inspired. F is just a great jazz guitar key.
Great review, thanks!! When I see and hear you playing a little bit of Jazz I was thinking of that joke. Whats the difference between a rock guitarist and a jazz guitarist? The rock guitarist plays 3 chords in front of 3.000 people, the jazz guitarist plays 3.000 chords in front of 3 people :D
Lol, I remember my instructor telling me that one when I was first getting into jazz 😂 Thanks for watching!
I have the V-22 Head, and after 6 months the power tubes already went. Lights flashing.
Rather then just reaching in and switching out, it appears one has to take the whole bloody thing apart because the tubes are inside a "cage". There is no info or videos anywhere on how.
Any suggestions? Help!
I talk about that exact issue at 28:34, the cage was a real pain to take off. The speaker is in the way and I couldn't fit in a screw driver to get one of the screws out. I guess if I really wanted to take the cage off properly I would have to completely take out the speaker, which seems ridiculous. Unfortunately I don't know what it's like in the V-22 head and can't really give any advice, but I'm sorry to hear it's also a hassle. Thanks for watching, though.
@@jjthomchickmusic Hey thanks. Since the head doesn't have speaker guess THAT wont be an issue.
But sounds like with your amp you were able to access them from the back.
ON the head I'll still have to pull out the guts. There is just no room to to reach inside.
Makes you wonder the purpose of the "cage", who's going to messing around inside the back to damage them.
And considering you can count on replacing power tubes every year Bugera shouldn't have made it so damn difficult. Sure, give me a light telling me to replace tubes, then make it extremely hard to do so.
Other then THAT, love the amp.
If a HEAD VERSION of any amp is available, not sure why people don't go that route, gives YOU the flexibility of what speaker you want.
@@jjthomchickmusic Ya I just removed all surface screws I could find and then eventually pull the whole motherboard tray out. Remove 8 screws holding cage. Replace 2 tubes. Throw cage in garbage. Put tray back in. In future I can then just reach in.
@@TurboMountTV Sounds like an adventure, but glad to hear it worked out. Yes, the cage is really just to protect the tubes from getting bumped or something. If you're careful with your amp while moving it you'll be fine, and yours should be well-protected anyway since they're inside the head in the first place.
There's a metal cage around the tubes everyone removes that rattles around in the amp. It's a little tricky to remove.
Yea, I talk about this around 28:41. That metal cage was a real pain to get off. Not sure if it was the source of the rattle or not, but I’m glad it’s gone.
@@jjthomchickmusic I was very lucky, my cage seemed to come off very easily. And I replaced my tubes with JJ's as well haha.
@@charliecoplestone9694 Interesting, did you remove the speaker? Great choice on tubes!
@@jjthomchickmusic Nope, didn't have to remove the speaker either. I also biased it afterwards, which was actually a little scary as there are bare wires involved. I'm still alive.
@@charliecoplestone9694 I thought you didn't have to bias it. "Infinium".
I saw on internet that it has a switch on the back called pentode /triode mode, what does it do?
Pentode is high power, triode is low power. Pentode has a fuller more robust sound, even at bedroom levels, and is best for recording. But triode still sounds just fine in the room. Thanks for watching!
Hi, great Video! What is it for a Ibanez Artcore Model?
Thank you! It's an Ibanez Artcore ASF75T, with Seth Lover pickups by Seymour Duncan.
@@jjthomchickmusic Very Nice Sound! Were is the Tremolo?
@@deHelli Thank you! I got this guitar from a friend and he had already removed the Bigsby.
My own is blinking, I mean the indicator light at the front of it after some time, it will stop sounding. What Will be the problem?
Do you mean the power light next to the standby & power switches? I am not familiar with that problem, but it doesn't sound good. Sorry to say need to seek the help of a professional. If anyone else has any thoughts I hope they will share, but I wish you the best of luck in fixing it.
Yes, it blinking like a car traffic gator light Sir.
So, I'm on the verge of buying one of these for its upper midrange tone and classic blues sound. Any other complaints about it, or alternatives you'd rather go for? Thanks.
You'd be right on the money with this amp for blues. It's at its best with clean tones and light drive. Strats and single coils sound amazing through it. I don't think you'll be disappointed - good luck!
@@jjthomchickmusicThanks. I'm getting mixed reviews all over the board on it. Seems to be a controversial amp.
I have that amp. Bursts the power tubes in days. I've sent it to 2 techs. None of them could fix it. Any ideas? Thank you.
I'm sorry to hear that - does not sound good at all. Try contacting Behringer, from what I've read they're usually cool about these kinds of things and might be able to help you out or even send you a new one. Good luck!
@@jjthomchickmusic No answer from them. Thanks for the answer. Cheers!
They need to make a V22 mk2. definitively Re work the eq in both channels.
It could definitely use some touching up, plus controlling that mid boost from the footswitch would be nice. But overall, it's solid.
It is,if you like the vintage thing.
Is it a great beginner amp?
Is it good for every style?
@@MeLexdy I think it would be a great first tube amp. Great for clean tones, jazz, blues, up to classic rock. I'm on the fence about it for metal, not sure if it has quite enough gain, but it takes pedals pretty well.
@@jjthomchickmusic
Ιt becomes farty (speaker) with high gain.
You need to change the tubes .
You need to fiddle with the controls ( a lot) to get the sound you want. Its just too trebly sometimes.
But it does sound great in low volumes which is a huge plus.
@@MeLexdy I did replace the tubes, currently have JJs in there. I can definitely dail in a good hi-gain tone, but if you play in metal bands all the time I'm not sure this amp would hold up. It is versatile, but I'd say sweet spot for gain is about 4 to 7. Thanks for checking out my review!
Late to the party, sorry. I know you're sitting right in front of the amp but it seems kind of noisy. Doesn't look like it's turned up that much. Dirty channel and more gain the hum gets much louder and the Strat goes even further. Does it quiet down if you move away? It's a great price but I can't deal with the noise if it's always like that.
I think that noise was indeed because I was sitting so close. It's not perfect, but I don't usually notice the noise at reasonable gain and volume levels. In this video I was actually turned up a little louder than I usually would. Hope this is a little helpful, thanks for watching!
@@jjthomchickmusic and thank you for replying. That does help
Just about every review I've watched on this amp complains about valve rattle from new. Most people seem to have cured it with JJ's or similar. It's such a shame because these things sound great and the price make it affordable to most people. My best guess is its the tolerances on the amp and not the valves, as this problem is almost unheard of with the likes of Vox amps. Both amps share the same valve types and as there are only three manufacturers in the world making valves, I think it's a reasonable assumption that they have the exact same Chinese valves.
I wasn't too surprised with the tubes rattling; I have a Vox AC10 and the tubes rattle on occasion, but I don't usually mic it or record with it. Plenty of great sounding Fenders rattle like crazy too. The rattling is part of the reason why I mic this amp on the edge of the cone, it didn't pick up the extra tube noise like it did dead center. The biggest pain about this amp was the extra noise from the casing - I really couldn't stand it, but fortunately tilting it backwards is the answer.
if the infinium red lights remain on, the power tubes must be replaced.
Thanks for the info!
try placing the amp and mic in the same room. Might sound more true. Maybe. Probs.
can this amp play stairway to heaven??
You talk to much! More guitar amp sound!
Sorry, I know it's long, but I had a lot to share and wanted to be as thorough as I could. I do have about 20 minutes of amp sounds with 3 different guitars, so I hope it was still helpful.
Was just thinking the same. Scrolled like 8 mins to head something. It's always Americans. They just talk and talk and talk. We can hear it if you just play it!