Fire Hazard Amplifier?! | Bugera 333 Infinium

We've all heard the horror stories: Bugera amps all go on fire and will burn down your house! Accurate analysis or over exaggerated nonsense?
We're going to play some fire riffs and see how lit this amp really is...
Get your own:
Reverb - reverb.grsm.io/Bugera333
Thomann - www.thomann.de/gb/bugera_333x...
Sweetwater - imp.i114863.net/x00B3
Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction
1:03 - Horror Stories
2:20 - Amplifier Overview
3:11 - Sounds
6:28 - Analysis
10:45 - Conclusion
#bugera #infinium #fire
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[@ScienceofLoud]

We've all heard the horror stories: Bugera amps all go on fire and will burn down your house! Accurate analysis or over exaggerated nonsense? We're going to play some fire riffs and see how lit this amp really is... Get your own: Reverb - reverb.grsm.io/Bugera333 Thomann - www.thomann.de/gb/bugera_333xl_infinium.htm?offid=1&affid=367 Sweetwater - imp.i114863.net/x00B3 Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction 1:03 - Horror Stories 2:20 - Amplifier Overview 3:11 - Sounds 6:28 - Analysis 10:45 - Conclusion #bugera #infinium #fire More from CSGuitars: Gain access to exclusive content at: www.patreon.com/csguitars Join CSGuitars Discord - discord.gg/d7b6MY8 Buy CSGuitars Merchandise - www.csguitars.co.uk/store Website - www.csguitars.co.uk Contact - [e-mail]

[@RichardKurbis]

I still have my BC-30, it still works awesome. Could never afford a real Matchless, but in the end, I probably wouldn't get rid of my Bugera even if I was presented with a real Matchless.

[@lewishuggett9281]

Could you do a video on the proper care/ how to take care of a valve amplifier?

[@barry2807]

Hi Colin. Video idea for you: How long do pickups stay magnetized/degaussing.

[@CaptnGeetch]

I have had my TriRec for about 2yrs and still love it. Haters gonna hate. I’ve owned some awesome valve amps including a 70’s Marshall Super Lead 100 and a mid 80’s JCM800 100w and the TriRec holds it own. I have no qualms recording with it when I want high gain sounds or cleans. But since I picked up an Egnater Tweaker 15 head/cab, the cleans have shifter to that amp instead. But Im not ashamed of my Bugera. I don’t see a need to spend $3k on some boutique head so I can have the same tones but be able to brag about owning some over-priced amp

[@kevinred1257]

My other guitarist bought a brand new 333 and it lasted two practices before its burned out a mother board.

[@freezingjazzy]

"Throw some metal riffs at it, and see if we can light this thing up." *[Clean Tone]*

[@ScienceofLoud]

People would have complained if they weren't there. Start clean, end heavy

[@nellax8314]

lol he did a nice bluesy/funky pattern though :)

[@ethandonston517]

@@ScienceofLoud Unless you're Ola Englund.

[@Mcsteveberry]

@@ScienceofLoud its funny though 😊

[@vesheljinn]

POV: You're 15, own a Marshall MG15 which you can only crank up to 2 before your parents start complaining about the noise but you just heard a few older mates talking about "tube amps". Naturally you use all your pocket money to buy this behemoth and end up selling it right away after you realise cabs are a thing you need for heads.

[@eneapopovic4207]

I'm 18 now but I really felt the marshall mg15 part

[@metalloid3417]

@@eneapopovic4207 Same here haha, I still have mine in a corner somewhere.

[@eneapopovic4207]

@@metalloid3417 I sold mine like a month ago, finally got rid of that no gain shitbox

[@metalloid3417]

@@eneapopovic4207 Yeah, I need to get rid of mine at some point haha. I have WAY better gear now.

[@eneapopovic4207]

@@metalloid3417 yeah

[@zackakai5173]

> Has a dinosaur metal project called Antorbital Fenestra > Has used the term "clade" to refer to different categories of effects pedals > Is wearing a T-shirt with what looks like a lot of different theropod skulls and bones I'm starting to think Colin secretly moonlights as a paleontologist

[@ScienceofLoud]

I'd honestly rather be a paleontologist.

[@zackakai5173]

@@ScienceofLoud if you're not familiar with him already you should check out AronRa's channel, dude goes *in depth* on that stuff (and he's a metalhead to boot)

[@growingupgold]

@@ScienceofLoud wouldn’t everyone?

[@thomaschilds8781]

Given the choice, I'd be an Allosaurus.

[@Cthulhu_Awaken]

I honestly don't blame him, when I was a kid (way before becoming a metalhead) I wished to be one as well. Or at least an archaeologist.

[@RyanAtkinsC]

Regular-ass-I-saw-it-in-my-feed squad, represent!

[@ScienceofLoud]

FEED SQUAD!

[@mcswordfish]

Word

[@lichkrieg4898]

squad up

[@tudordiaconu863]

that as blood runs black riff always puts a smile on my face

[@HauntedGuitarMan]

I had a Peavey 5150 as a teen I bought used in the late 90s. For 12 years I completely abused that amp tossing it around in and out of cars and never changed a tube once. Lol. It was very noisy but back then there was no yt and I didn't know anything about tube amps. Thinking back I'm still impressed by the durability of that amp.

[@seinthomas]

This is the way i treat my bugera 6260 infinum since 2013. Still works like a charm 😀. Not even a dead led. Every year i update my review on audiofanzine to say "hey, another year still good".

[@andrep0wly35]

i have been playing a bugera 333 without infinium for 13 years and it runs flawlessly!

[@immortalgram]

Likewise. Have the head and the combo. Never had any problems with em. Underrated amp.

[@vauns8329]

That As Blood Runs Black riff was spicy !

[@Pitchuga]

I new someone would comment on that, lov them

[@_Moses44]

That album fuckin bangs 🤘🏼

[@tetsusiega2]

I guess you could say that they were stating it would cause an “ampli-fire”? Yeah I’ll show myself out.

[@mvyper]

Nice.

[@stevenesbit1412]

I got my virtually unused 333XL Infinium as an absolute 2nd hand steal, and was really pleased with it's performance, especially bearing in mind the price. The original Bugera valves took a major crap before Christmas and I re-valved it with a full GT and Harma kit from Watford Valves and wow, what a difference! They have really broadened the sound out and it runs whisper quiet even on the lead channel. I was genuinely surprised how well put together my later version was inside and they're definitely worth a look if your on a budget and want to try a valve amp. (Change the valves out though if they haven't been done already!)

[@guitarzan2979]

I got a steal on mine too at $380 about four years ago and have never had any problems with it except replacing tubes. Mine was and still is mint condition. I also bought a refurbished Bugera 412 cab that was mint but the speakers were junk turbosound so I ripped them out and loaded it with Celestion V 30’s and it sounds killer.

[@alphanumeric1529]

$200 for the 333 Non-infinium, non-xl. I've played the sh!t out of this amp. The common connector meltdown did happen a few months ago. Bumbed me out, but I fixed it, no problem. I actually really like the clean channel on this amp, I like the 6L6 Fendery sound. I'd like to pursue that sound further through this head. Any ideas on preamp tubes that would be better suited to the rounder cleaner sound? AND I'd like quieter preamp tubes that sound better, so I could actually turn the gain up past 1 AND even just use the crunch and lead channels! If you have any suggestions, I'm all eyes. Having a legit conversation on the web about Bugera ampes without it turning into a flame war bullsh!t fest is one of the hardest things to do. I swear so many guitarists are so freaking immature, their egos seem to get so wounded that you didn't pay $3,000 for your head! So hard to get info on this amp, and these, amps. I think it's other amp makers paying their marketing people to sh!t on Bugera so people keep spending multiple thousands of dollars for what you can buy used from Bugera for pennies! Anyway, this is a Bugera-safespace! Lol, so I'd love to hear what you've tried, and what has worked for you with this amp!

[@stephencagle8233]

I've got a TATA! How do pickups in an offset configuration (Precision Bass, Railhammer Humcutters, G&L Z pickups) work?

[@blazer6248]

glguitars.com/product/asat-z-3/ They work just like a single coil, except they're split. I think the G&L are even Hum canceling. Similar to a slanted pickup with the treble poles closer to the nut for a brighter top end and the bass poles closer to the bridge for a fuller bass sound or something. G&L explains it quite clearly on their web page.

[@stephencagle8233]

@@blazer6248 Yeah, but hum canceling pickups work by combining the output of two reverse wound reverse polarity pickups working in series to amplify the signal both pickups receive and cancel the signal only one pickup receives. Why isn't the sound of the string being cancelled if only one pickup is getting the signal from the strings? I know it DOES work... but what's the science behind it?

[@MrDrTheJniac]

@@stephencagle8233 Well, those offset designs are typically set up such that each pickup does not really pick up the strings of the other pickup.

[@EversonBernardes]

@@stephencagle8233 Basically, the way your usual humbuckers works, you have two coils wound in opposite directions - they capture twice the string vibration, 180° apart out of phase, but capture the hum equally in phase. You then invert one of the signals, so now the string vibration is in phase, but hum is out of phase, so it cancels once summed. Since the coils are slightly apart physically from each other, string vibration isn't perfect in phase, you get some comb filtering, hence the humbucker tone (that's also what gives the Telecaster mid position that distinctive tone). Split pickups basically only capture a set of strings each part, hum also in phase. You then invert the signal of one half, hum is now out of phase and cancels out once the signal is summed. Since the string vibration info between them doesn't overlap (kinda, sorta), you don't need to worry (much) about the comb filter effect. There's a way to do a dummy coil that captures no string vibration at all, just hum. You can then invert it, sum to the actual pickup signal and do hum cancelling without changing the tone at all.

[@mickavoidant4780]

The two halves are electrically and magnetically opposite to each other. You don't say if you understand hum cancelling pickups or not. Loads of videos will tell you how they work. Split coils are more or less humbuckers split into two and halved.

[@coryhickmon5827]

I’m currently using the 333XL Infinium and I’ve never had an issue with it. Even with the stock tubes I’ve always been able to get a good tone out of it. I have since upgraded the tubes, but this is my main head I use and every show I play, people are surprised with the sound quality I get out of it. I’m also a cheap bastard that doesn’t wanna spend more money, so I make due with what I have lol

[@johnnycanosoda]

Thanks for setting the record straight, I own 3 Bugeras and their F%^$# Awesome...Thank you, Sir!!!

[@angush8595]

His videos always make my day brighter

[@needsLITHIUM]

and just think, a tube screamer turned all the way to treble will do the same for your distortion tones!

[@petertauscher316]

i love how the production value of this channel just keeps climbing and climbing! You deserve WAY more views for your awesome content, Colin!

[@TheXxPSYCHO]

WOW a video straight from 2012

[@ScienceofLoud]

A more elegant video, for a more civilised age.

[@alphanumeric1529]

@Bogey Yeah, remember when the world was supposed to end in 2012? And now it actually is, in 2021, which is like some number trickery still 2012 if you play the record backwards?

[@Joec9t]

@@ScienceofLoud Not as clumsy or random as a blaster.........

[@nicolamontoro]

Great video Colin, always great entertainment!

[@littlewoodenboy1971]

Thanks so much for clearing up the fire issue.

[@TheAlfaproyect]

You have come a long way my friend. And for that I have decided to suscribe to your channel. Keep the good work

[@The1manue]

I have a Bugera 6262 with two only power tubes and it is a beast! when i was younger i only have played on the lead channel, but now i enjoy the clean channel because it has the cleanest clean that i heard never

[@christophermurphy7113]

Always love the education I get from your videos. BE HAIRD!

[@trexthedragon8]

I love your content! I hope to see more and more videos!

[@markpickardlife]

Thanks for the demo. Yes, your presentation skills have greatly improved. Stay safe.

[@JuveriSetila]

Why I always have to be at band practice when Colin releases new video

[@needsLITHIUM]

Love the As Blood Runs Black riff, as well as the Bark at the Moon that came not long before. Metal AF.

[@bradleyard4195]

I have two "inexpensive" 15 watt tube combos. Swapped the tubes on both and the speaker on one, and they sound fantastic. Couldn't be happier with them, and I paid about what you would pay for a decent, similar solid state amp. Just goes to show, branding isn't everything.

[@ericcarpenter3263]

That Bugera sounds awesome. I’m not normally a super high gain guy, I do own a 5150iii and a MB Mark V but that Bugera really sounds damn amazing. But I gotta hand it to you, a lot of you sounds have been great lately. They were never really bad but the focus and definition in the last 6 months have been over the top. I remember at one point you were working on your improve ability. I don’t know if it’s that, or the way you are setting things up, but your sound has been amazing dude. Whatever it is, keep it up, it sounds phenomenal.

[@DivorcedFL]

I had a 333XL from the very first run back in 2009. After a short time it stopped working. Turned out the wiring was put together using some very cheap and unsuitable wago style connectors that over heated and failed. Same happened with my 6262. A year later I got an artist endorsement from them and they sent me a V55HD. I opened it up and they’d clearly gone through it and used much better components. I still have it to this day and it still works.

[@miked9000]

My comment is a little late, but... I had a 333 combo, 1st generation, and it screamed. It had the faulty jumper off of the power board, easy fix, no issues. I like to buy, try, and sell amps, and it moved on. About three years later, I found a Tri-Rec head for $300. Got it, and it really is a Chinese Boogie. But, of course one day, I decide to fire it up, switched from standby to on and... Nothing. Dead silence. I took out the standby switch, re-wired it for always on and... Nothing. It has been sitting in my storage room, with its broken brethren ever since.

[@NinecoreNeil]

The only thing is here I was scrolling and I was going to keep going,I’d never heard of Bugera setting on fire until I saw the Thumbnail so I thought I’d watch?Great video but if I’d of kept scrolling I would of believed your Bugera set on fire 🔥

[@AlanShortySwanson]

I love this channel so much

[@f0rth3l0v30fchr15t]

TBF, it would catch fire quite easily if you filled it with straw and threw matches at it.

[@ronniefnd]

Junk right? You can pour gas on a Marshall after filling it with fireworks and it won't light lol.

[@TheKevinNewsom]

Sounds great!

[@ack9049]

Great job

[@ParallaxSound315]

I was actually wondering about this recently. Years ago when I started playing guitar, I was going to purchase this, mostly because of your videos, but I couldn't find one in my area, and ended up getting a first generation Peavey VK100, which served me well for a few years, until I just recently switched to Headrush.

[@priorwitness]

I bought a ValveKing 2 (newer generation) a while back because of that vid as well. Then I sold it for a Dual Rec, which I'm now regretting. Why? Because its taken me about 20 years to realize most of your tone is in the friggin' speakers you use anyway.

[@jacobbockover1628]

I had a bugera two for years it turned out to be super dependable and when I retuned it it got a lot better

[@tippybooch]

You've come such a long way with your playing. I remember when you used to get people in to do that kind of shredding for you!

[@valuedhumanoid6574]

Still badass. But your riffage is what lights it up. That Bark at the Moon snippet was killer! I went from a Line 6 Spider to my first "real" amp which was the Bugera V22 1x12 combo amp. I loved it. It sounded good, had all the features like effects loop and was affordable. Nothing wrong with that!

[@Crunchifyable2]

Still love my 333XL. Three awesome channels. The clean is the hardest to dial in. The rest is so easy.

[@kevincmarynda3678]

Damn, that As Blood Runs Black riff sounded great on that amp ! Cheers !

[@bertrandmajorik6589]

Thanks to you, I found a 1000 Watt combo amp, Bugera 12 inch speaker on Thomann. ;)

[@FirestormAudio]

I have no issues with Bugera. I'm just happy there's a market for affordable tube amps.

[@leearmitage]

just been looking at the XL version I may be tempted 😉

[@Steve_the_Bastard]

Sound god man... great vid man..

[@OsLapsosBandaRock]

I have a 6262-212 AND I LOVE IT!!! Since 2009 and hasn't failed... Considering it's price it's a GREAT Amp!

[@Alterwill]

Its great you re-reviewed this amp and demonstrated that its got really viable sounds. I own one and this "catching fire" is just BS really! P.S That Fender is on my list and really wanted to know how it would sound through the 333xl 😁

[@jacksonhoward3743]

I used to have one of these as a combo amp bought new around 2013 or 14 and it, unfortunately, kicked the bucket after a bit over a year but was thankfully still under warranty. I did decide to trade it back to the store and bought an egnater rebel 20 mkii that I still love

[@crashbangpow1649]

I don’t know why you would be embarrassed of your older videos. I think it’s impressive that you were able to find the record function on the potato you were using! Huge improvements sir, well done.

[@roblewis7186]

I had one of those for years! It was a fantastic amp for the money and never failed me. I sold it to another local musician who still gigs the amp today. (when we can gig) I bought a much nicer amp but I always loved that amp.

[@Ivandrov]

I have a Bugera V22 Infinium that I bought a couple of years ago. I don't really play a lot (Pick up my guitar after waking up, play a few riffs, move on with the day.) But, I'm really happy with how it sounds! After I got a tube screamer to put in front of it. It, it does Metal really well! Even though it is supposed to be a "Vintage" amp. Cleans are nice with the built-in reverb as well.

[@nathanadlem5472]

I had the 2x12 combo of this amp absolutely loved it, got every sound I was aiming for (from rock metal funk blues) using different guitars,pickups, pedals & adjusting th eq ,only slight issue was there was a slight delay in sound when using the foot switch changing from the clean channel to the drive. Kinda realising that I miss that amp should never of sold it.For all of those new to valve amp world this is a good place to start for the price & what you get. For the haters keep on hating something you've most likely never played.

[@maciejkotas]

This sounds badass, but man, Your playing got f***ing amazing! 🤘

[@DMSProduktions]

The biggest fail point on the Gen 1 Bugeras was they had a very weak main board power connectors and they burnt out as they couldn't take the current load! Once they were removed and the wiring soldered directly to the circuit board, there were no more of these failures! I have a V55HD that had these issues along with the non heat sinked voltage regulator and it would jump channels @ random! My amp was heavily modified by the wonderful folks at Behringer Australasia, and made rock solid & reliable! MY amp IS the prototype V55Mk2, that was made before they revamped it with the Infinium valve management! A unique amp!

[@nerdsofmetal4318]

I still have my 333XL Bugera half stack. Played many shows with it. I love it and it never caught fire! \m/

[@tehalexy]

i do own a 333 XL Infinium and i've got it repaired cuz something was broken .. this was ... 5 years ago? since then this amp is a dream, never had any problems with it, it even survived multiple "drummer kills electrics while amp is still running" ( quit the band cuz this and some other things )

[@alphanumeric1529]

My bassist has done this to me several times. Solid state people just don't tube well.

[@themechanix393]

Why would that hurt the amp?

[@tehalexy]

@@themechanix393 a 120W Amp still running while i was riffing/playing a lil bit on 70% volume ... and then killing electrics and turning it 5seconds later on ... that sounded like a dying amp, damn horrible. dont try it at home.

[@creepingnet]

Still using my first run 333XL from Feb 08'. Was gigging 3-4 times a month with it till COVID locked down my area. I've done a few reliability mods tho. Still got Bugera tubes in it. Haven'tt had any issues since the mods in 09'.

[@WhiskersJelly]

I have a G20 Infinium head. Sounds good with the cleans and takes pedals nicely. $160USD as a NAAM demo from one of the big retailers. Bought it to play around with a stereo amp setup. Still have no regrets.

[@jeffh7348]

sound great

[@JustAdude291]

Don't have a Bugera 333 but I do have a Peavey xxx (which is what the Bugera is cloned/modeled after) with JJ-EL34s and Tung sol preamp with a combo of 12ax7s, a 5751 in v2 and a 12at7 in the phase inverter. Its really tamed the gain while still remaining super brutal and aggressive. It's super brutal. I think the xxx is super underrated. I need to make a demo of it. Use a mesa v30 cab with any peavey and you're set.

[@Fergieguitar]

Crunch channel with a boost in the front and the Bugera is a monster amp. Pop and EQ in the loop and it's extra monstery!

[@acirka]

Proud owner of a Bugera 333 Infinium, best bang for the buck for me. With a EQ pedal you can really shape the sound out of it! Crank it loud!!!

[@guitar19971]

Should have brought out the good old CS-1. Go really old school CS guitars. Great vid as always Colin!

[@theoviksten4938]

Love the solo face when you play lead

[@wayneingold8590]

I have a Bugera Infinium G5 and I really like it. It does only have the one sound but that happen to be the one I wanted. Lots of mids though.

[@chacha134]

Sounded pretty good and agree about the crunch channel. You could also look for a used peavey jsx. Pretty sure that’s what this amp is based off of and probably could save some money. I found a good deal on a jsx recently and picked it up it’s an awesome amp. Great video and stay safe

[@Burbund]

Well said, i have like ~$350 tube amp from ibanez of all things and it's absolutely fine for me. A bit harsh on the highs, not much headroom (it's 15w), and between aleged crunch and lead a smooth drive is nowhere to be found but still is perfectly fine for my practice and beginner recording needs

[@alexcrouse]

I have a B52 AT-100, and it sounds like an absolute monster with incredible range. Deep, warm fender clean, gritty plexi sounds, HUGE mesa dual rect sounds... But jesus is it unstable. Every time you turn it on it sounds a little different. I'm guessing it has some parts wondering out of spec and would be an easy fix, but sure wouldn't be easy to find what's wrong. Rumor has it, Bruce Egnater designed the thing. The sound sure seems that way. $200 on craigslist.

[@keithhoffman1864]

Love my BG Infinium

[@shanejohnson1105]

I can’t wait to loop in my MT2 😬

[@keithbarto5464]

Back in 2012 I was gigging with a Bugera 6260 120watt 212 combo. It was an older one that had the old blue power/standby jewels, and was one of the earlier Bugeras in their lineup. It caught fire on me one night during soundcheck at a gig where I did NOT have a backup. Turns out it had a factory defect that led to overheating issues, and It was easily repaired weeks later , but the gig in question wasn’t salvageable, unfortunately. I sold it after it was repaired and and I have been using the Laney Ironheart exclusively in the years since. No issues with my Laney

[@alecmunro1732]

This is fine is good. I had a couple of years of use from the 6262 combo and my bandmate had the head. But his channel selector started messing up, randomly changing between clean and distortion. We thought it might be the foot switch, but even without that the channels kept changing.. His was a bit older than mine but after the two years my combo started having exactly the same problem. I understand with cheaper stuff comes cheaper parts but man that was a pisser. I can't bring myself to trust them again after that. But as for sound, it really did the job. Just make sure you know someone who can take care of those issues. Thanks for the video!

[@st33v3]

Crunch channel on that Flying V @ 4:00 kick ass!!

[@zigzagrz]

I have this amp, the trirec and the g20. All imfinium. My fav is the trirec but I do use the 333xl together with the trirec (they sounds great together)

[@CelticAndyTheBard]

I did 2 US tours with the Bugera 333xl (Not the Infinium) and had NO problems. This thing worked great, I was in a horror-metal band and it kicked baw-bags in every state. My tone was solid, it got thrown in the back of a trailer every night and was good to go next town. Would not hesitate to buy again or to recommend. Now - to be fair - as it sits today the tubes/valves are shot - I cannot afford to replace at the mo', but that's not the amps fault - my Mesa Boogie Mk IV is in the same place. I am in a more experimental/classic tone band as we speak but if (when) I get into another metal project, until I can afford the 3G priced amps, a Bugera will be my go to. Lets face it, you can have 4 stacked for the price of an ENGL and tip the bartender an amp if you can't pay the bar tab. And NO - it NEVER caught fire, not even once.

[@CelticAndyTheBard]

Only complaint - vent on top of amp - I realise heat rises but beer follows the path of least resistance. Fan and back vent go a long way on stage.

[@xdonnix]

The 333xl was my first valve amp as well. It was a good amp for the price

[@TayandKay]

Some As Blood Runs Black. That brings back the old days. Missed the pinch though lol

[@GreenmanXIV]

I've had the 333 combo for quite a while, I changed the valves to Groove Tube 6L6s sounds a lot more smooth and rounded than the originals. Never had any problem with the amp.

[@p0p0ld3sb0is]

Damn does that flying V look awesome... 🤤

[@ShaunNelson]

I have the pre-Infinium 333XL it had the burnt Molex problem most had. Since I sorted that problem it has been great. The only other thing that went south on was the footswitch. The old amps use a mini-din connector rather than midi I/O like the newer one's ship with. Total ballache!!

[@Archlegan]

I think a good thing to bring up to people when talking about these amps is that Bugera isn't some random weird company from China--they're owned and operated by Behringer, who we all know for being copycats of mackie mixers etc, but good copies. Well, the 333 is Behringer's copy of a Peavey JSX, and the 333XL is Behringer's copy of a Peavey XXX. I do agree though, the stock tubes are pretty noisy and aren't that great, however I think that the controls are very responsive though I always play at pretty high gain and volume, and mine is the XL. I'm real happy with these 333s for the price.

[@charlesb7831]

I remember when I was playing my Carvin X50B with 4x12 cab and it all of a sudden started smoking and caught fire lol. Tubes were 3 months old and had been serviced. Apparently the design flaw was the tube sockets were mounted directly to the pc board and basically heated it up enough till it caught fire. A friend of mine is a tech, ended up cutting out the whole back of the pc board and rewired it point to point wiring. I still have this amp and it works great. I did swap the EL34 tubes out for 6L6GCs though after it caught fire. Great amp regardless of this happening!

[@sauce_aux]

I feel like there is a point where you love your low end amp, cuz it’s what YOU have. Then you get better gear and you don’t like the low-end gear. Then as a couple years go by, you tend you find aspects of your low-end gear you really love. Sometimes things are just crap and you learn hahahahah great video! I say let your ears do the talking - unless the gear is dangerously faulty 😂

[@Yupppi]

Don't go disliking that dude's videos! He was still improving and getting more experienced, he didn't have as much money invested in the equipment and so on! His videos paved the way years and years ago for guitar content on youtube. Humoristic but also educational. Some kid might even browse through that dude's channel and get inspired to try when they see how that dude improved from the first videos. Personally I remember when every teenager was raving about Peavey Valveking and then came the Bugeras. People were frowning at those, but gotta admit, they got many kids on the track. They also didn't suck tonewise. I saved for Laney VH100R myself and was happy about my choice, but gotta give credit to these amps. Especially for metal tones. And I suppose my amp became the cheapo amp a few years later as well when english pound plummeted and those amps cost 600e instead of 1300e in retail, so not much to be snobby about :) I think Bugeras and Valveking tried to hit the ever increasing audience of 5150/6505 that couldn't quite afford them (although today they're one of the cheapest good quality second hand full valve amp available). Funnily enough Peavey kinda started competing with itself.

[@Robster-Craw]

I played a Bugera V22 Infinium for a couple of years and it was a great amp. Never had one issue. I loved the amp and I actually have sellers regret but lucky for me it was cheap and finding the same amp or something similar will be cheap. I'm eyeing the Marshall DSL20 for my bedroom volume amp. My current amp is way too loud and no matter how you try you can't find a bedroom suitable volume when using it.

[@RoyMach1ne]

OD+ Crunch ❤ All time favorite.

[@EpicStuffMan1000]

I almost expected it to actually catch on fire like a top gear bit. CGI will do

[@wahivalleys3011]

I have a Bugera 333XL combo that I got back in '09. Other than the power light sometimes not lighting, I've never had a problem with it. Of course, since I've been playing acoustic for about 8 years now, and my electric guitar amps have been sitting in my Dad's music room for years, I probably have not played the 333XL, or even turned it on since 2013 or so. I need to change that! Wahi' Valleys

[@pino_7428]

One of my favorite sounding amps. Mine died after 1.5 years and no one could repair it. Is a shame that Bugera has so many problems. I also bought a 6262 that died, the replacement died too and the third one died but I repaired it myself.

[@RJW14]

honestly a friend of mine bought this exact amp, very experienced gigging artist, returned it within 5 months because he still had reliability issues. the problem has always been reliability and you really need to show me sales versus returns / repairs numbers before I'll believe otherwise. Cause dude these things sound better than some amps 5 times the money.

[@mikeallen5291]

you did the same thing i did and took those stupid plastic pcs off the front. lol. On another note. I had issues with my first as it was second hand and I was warrantied a new one and have had zero issues with it. THe first one was an easy fix and Bugera let me keep the old one and I repaired it so now I have two and they are both great. The issue with the first was that the valves were mostly dead and it killed the output transformer so I bought a parts amp off of eBay for 100 bucks and had it repaired in no time after, of course , a brand new matched set of Sovteks in both. Now I have a stereo twin full stack setup at a fraction of the cost of some of the amps it destroys on the gain side of shit. I've built all of my own cabinets. They are 3/4" birch, sealed, and each contains a pair of v30s in the top with eminence texas heat in the bottom.

[@ordohereticus3427]

Heard that the Bugera 333 is meant to be like the Peavey JSX and does a fairly a good job of accomplishing a tone similar to the high gain features of that amp. Meanwhile, the XL is often compared to the XXX. The 6262 is also quite decent and is meant to be aiming for a 6505+ tone. All of them seem excellent for high gain stuff, even if a bit constricted in their range/versatility.

[@HeretekNC]

I've had one of the OG Bugera VH55 heads from before the Infinitum series came out and it's still one of my favorite heads for use as a pedal platform. People who hate on Bugera's stuff tend to either be gear snobs who're just angry you're making decent tones out of a $400 tube amp or people who just don't like Bugera because it's seen to be "cheap"

[@michaelwilson2497]

I'm getting better tones with my Bugara G20 head and 4x12 cab and a Fractal AX8 than my buddy does with an SLO 30 and his 1200 buck cabinet. Knowing how tone works helps. And you're right. They do get pissed when your rig cost less than $600 bucks for amp and cab and your tones are better.

[@barretprivateer8768]

Used to own one of those, wild.

[@stratter71]

I had a brugera g20.. solid amp!

[@alphanumeric1529]

Colin, I remember those days! You have come a long way. I bought a used non-infinium 333, non-xl, after one came up for sale locally at a good price, and after watching your vid for a little hand holding. A few months ago, I flip it on, and dead silent, no glow in power tubes. Turns out to be the common problem of the cheap plastic connector melting and shorting. I fixed it with maybe the worst soldering job in the history of electric guitar amplifiers. Works totally fine now. Question for you though: I prefer the 6L6's, and almost all of the time I use the 333 exclusively on the clean channel as a pedal platform, as you know, getting the volume and gain over 1.5 (not o'clock, like 1.5 out of 10) on the gain channels will produce police helicopters in short order, and I'm way below the budget of attenuators. So, actually a couple questions: do you have valve recommendations to bend this Bugera into a clean Fender sound? I like the clean channel as is, but I'd like to make it even better if possible. And second: The class of preamp tubes that Bugera uses and suggests, I think, are the problem with the limited distortion sound range. I know A LOT of people would be interested in hearing this head retubed with something other than a C grade 12AX7, in V... whatever position it is that calls for the C. And same for the V position that calls for a B. I think using cleaner, higher quality valves in there, would allow for lower gain, break up type sounds, before going to full hoover (at 1.5 on the gain knob), and a better range of distortion sounds overall. And a bonus third question: How about techniques for quieting this amp. I've heard that you can remove your two outside power valves, and half/double your impedance (still don't understand impedance, after all these years)... but if your cab is at 16 ohms, switch the switch on the head to 8 ohms. I've heard this done, and it is a bit quieter, allowing you to reach into deeper gain at lower volume. But what about doing this in conjunction with quieter preamp valves, like 12AT7's, that are around 60-80% the gain of AX7's? I bet this monster could be tamed, and you could get breakup type overdrive out of this amp, as well as reach inter the deeper gain at more reasonable volumes. I think you could get a lot of content mileage out of answering these questions in video(s), as there have been a sh!t tun of 333's (of various configurations) sold over the last, what, 12 years, 14, I forget, and there is like only 10 videos, total, on youtube, and you made one and now a second, so there's 11! AND many of the valve sorcery principles learned on the 333 could apply to all the Peavey heads these are clones of, and even more generally to valve heads of this sort of topology, of which there are millions (so to speak). So, come on man, DO IT! I really can't find this info. I'm sure you could pull some sponsorship for some tubes to test out. You have the resources, the knowledge, the need for content! DO IT!

[@guitarzan2979]

Bugera makes a budget attenuator called PS1. They used to be $99 but I think they went up some but still cheap for an attenuator.

[@quijadriss7650]

I have the little 5 watt infinium in my living room running through a 12" mesa cab for when the baby is sleeping upstairs. Not going to say it is flexible, but there are a few decent sounds in there. Especially if all you want are mellow clean tones.

[@baluchon2505]

That V is sick

[@almostclement4975]

On the subject of old videos the first time I came across you was a mad rant about EMGS.. such hatred 😂

[@guitarzan2979]

Hello Colin, I have you to thank for turning me on to the Bugera 333. I watched you play it on one of your videos about four years ago and I was like if this Metal dude has one then it must be decent and it sounds killer too. I still have it and have never had any problems with it other then normal tube replacement. I love the tone it produces. I’ve heard that it’s modeled after the Peavey JSX. Mine is the 333XL version though and I always keep the XL button depressed. I think the XL stands for ballz.

[@Totone56]

Yep, the "XL" button is the "Fat" switch on the JSX. It boosts bass and mediums, giving more "balls" to the sound, like the name "Fat" implies.

[@guitarzan2979]

@@Totone56 exactly 🎸. Thanks for the info!