Marshall 1959 vs Bugera 1960

[@iliyankalinov]

Don't know about you guys but I can't hear the 2400 dollars difference.

[@Guitar360]

I think you said it: It's a big pile of money for a difference this size.

[@alexcarpen3201]

Funny thing. If this wasnt made with a looper and aby pedal the difference might just be slight harder or softer picking. "The difference" might not be there at all. As for the price. Not to mention that the Bugera doesnt need biasing. Sure the plexi is a piece of history, but the reissues arent...

[@Guitar360]

Hi Alex. Good point, that's why it was taken into account: the performance was first captured as a DI track and then send to the Marshall and the Bugera. Having said that I think both the auto-biasing and tubefailure-leds are a big plus for the Bugera. Potential gig-savers even.

[@alexcarpen3201]

Guitar 360 great to hear! So then there is a barely audible more visible on the graph difference. Cheers to you guys!

[@jeepmanxj]

I've heard this amp in person. It starts the sound starts falling apart when you need a really mid range punch. For the price though. I'd buy it if I was in the market.

[@anto7199]

compliments: this is the best video comparison of musical gear I've found on youtube

[@Guitar360]

Thanks for the kind words anto7199. If you like it you might want to check out the other amp/gear comparisons in the Gear Guide section. Have a rocking day!

[@Blues-House]

Got one of the Bugera 1960 infinium models over a year ago. Gigged a dozen times - band practice every week - never any trouble and it sounds mint. You go to a gig and you can see a few folk in the crowd giving dismissive looks when you set it up and it's great to see them pleasantly surprised. It's an absolute beast and I've never had the master volume past 6 even at larger venues, let alone bypassing the master. Just got the 4x12 Bugera half stack for £130 brand new. Can't complain at all. Thanks for sharing this. It goes to show that economical doesn't mean rubbish. I know there were problems with the earlier versions but Behringer seemed to have got it right now. I maybe was just lucky but it would take a lot to persuade me to swap it with anything else. I get the tones I need right there with the amp. Thanks for sharing this and your great playing. Cheers. Mike.

[@Guitar360]

@Mike: Thank you for sharing and your kind words. The Bugera 1960 from this video has also withstood a lot of gigging hours, some throwing around and even sand was spilled on and in it. It still works flawlessly. It seems to be build sturdy enough!

[@miko8732]

Where did you get a half stack so cheap? Cheapest I can find is about £180

[@bejonatrans]

hell yeah totally agree, with my band we play rock & roll (lemmy)so it has to be loud, but i never going louder than 2, it's because the P.A soundengineers Always say please dont go any further ,we can not handle it ,hahahahha

[@mitchellferre1652]

Swap the power transformer for a Mercury Magnetics unit and swap out the tubes too and the tone is ridiculously great ! 👍🏼

[@ReaperRooney]

Bugera all the way and trust me im a Marshall guy to and through

[@truescotsman4103]

i know right? i have a bunch of marshalls and friedmans. this amp has been mocking me i just it pulled out tonight and its glorious. might be selling that hand wired turret-board BE100 Deluxe here pretty quick!!

[@hotrod1ification]

I like the sound of the Bugera better.I like the warmer type tone.

[@Guitar360]

Regardless of how it compares to the Marshall it sure has a very cool sound on it's own, doesn't it.

[@hotrod1ification]

Yeah it sure does :)

[@TheGuitarNerdShow]

I own a 1960 Infinium (have done a couple quick videos on it) and have been blown away at how amazing it sounds, especially for the money - $400 for a Plexi? I bought it to use only in my home studio but I do have questions about durability. A month or two after getting the amp (maybe 7 hours' total playing time) the amp failed on me. Bugera's customer service was very good (other than me having to pay shipping to repair facility) though. The person at the facility wasn't able to find why it failed so they sent me a brand new amp as a replacement. I've used it a little, running into a Suhr Reactive Load and into my DAW through speaker cab IRs and this one seems to be holding up. I'm also impressed at the consistency between both specimens - I was able to set the knobs where I'd had the first one and the tone was pretty much dead on! I hope to get years of use out of it but I'd be nervous about gigging it.

[@Guitar360]

That's too bad the first one broke down Steve. +1 for customer service. I don't know the chances of that happening to you twice but I wouldn't be too scared about gigging it. Tech guys from the compagny that owns the Bugera 1960 I have used on stage a couple of times toss the head around backstage like it's a brick. Also it's used outside in humid conditions and sand has been spilled inside the amp. Yes sand. Tubes are working hard in combination with an attenuator for a couple of years now. All of this being said and the amp still won't break down... I feel it's very suited for gigging: low price/easy replacement, infinium warning leds for tube wear, onboard attenuator (not really usable though if you want great saturated tones), and in my experience very sturdy. Good luck with this second one, but you probably won't need luck anyway. If you think the video/comment was usefull please help me out and subscribe. Thanks a lot.

[@80shairmetalband]

Love your 80s hair metal video of the Bugera 1960 you sound great great playing great tone.

[@hichembell9972]

does it still work properly ?

[@DCWelker]

There was a tiny difference, then I heard the telecaster and the Bugera really opened up.. not the the Marshall sounded bad at all, but the Bugera had a bit warmer tone to it with the tele especially

[@Guitar360]

DC Welker you're right. That telecaster lays bare some differences. More so than the other guitars. It's kind of weird almost.

[@ethanlockwood9947]

To me the bugera is warmer and more bodied, with crisper high ends and more pronounced and mix punching mids. pair this with a nice cabinet and you're good as a marshall imo

[@jacktowers7533]

Ethan Lockwood and $2000 better off ;)

[@georgetwydell6166]

I prefer the bite of the Marshall more... fits nicely with a Les Paul which is generally a much more naturally dark sounding guitar than the Strat for example. Both brilliant, Bugera really does sound brilliant especially for the price. So many Marshall heads sound different though if you listen to the handwired examples from the 60s so its hard to say one is better than the other overall based on one example.

[@tomasoprodi9340]

fantastic video, and really not shocking results as I own both amps.

[@timothysnave]

Sounds like the bugera has just a little extra low end, which I like. it's not like you can't dial that back. From what I've heard, the bugera uses EL34B power tubes, as opposed to the regular EL34. The EL34B is a larger bottle, and that's supposedly what allows it to achieve 150 watts as well as the extra low end. Nice comparison.

[@PeterDad60]

Wrong, 150 peak watts not 150 watts RMS. I have a Bugera 1960 so I learned what it's true specs are. - Peter age 72

[@ogunhe]

I thought the Infinium Technology meant it could take any EL34 tube...

[@timothysnave]

@@ogunhe better than that, it can also take 6L6 and 6V6. It just ships with the EL34B.

[@PeterDad60]

@@ogunhe Yes it can. It can also use 5881 and 6L6 power tubes! I'm running 5881's right now.

[@PeterDad60]

@@timothysnave I have heard not to use 6V6's. But 6L6's and 5881 as well as any ERL34 is acceptable.

[@eduardokazuo2900]

I Have a 6262-212 (Pre Infinium) for 4 years now. Work like a charm! Also have a Bugera 22HD Infinium head and the 1960 Infinium. All of them sound great and I never had an issue with any one of them! By the way, I have a 1986's Marshall JCM800 (2203)...it's retired! Congrats for the vid and best regards from Brazil!

[@SpeedyMacan]

I bought a Bugera because of this great video. Are the settings you used on the Bugera the ones pictured in the video, and what channel were you plugged into?

[@Guitar360]

Great. Different settings were used. The picture is just static.

[@joshmiller5374]

The Marshall is a bit brighter and more defined, but there is absolutely no way it’s $2400 better than the bugera. If it was $400 I’d say the Marshall is worth it but no way $2400

[@leonthompson8988]

I have the v55 for years now and no problems. I put JJs in it

[@vincentzaalberg]

JJ's sound great in the Marshall as well. Once I replaced them with EL34 but I wasn't happy so swapped them back. I like the JJ's too.

[@davidlara105]

Very similar performance, I think Bugera did really great with this head for the money it costs compared to the Marshall. I liked the sound of the Bugera with the Telecaster (my favorite guitar).

[@EasyHeat]

Potential Jonny Ramone volume and tone at a fraction of the cost?! Oh Yeeeeer! Outstanding comparison video btw! Smashed that Subscribe.

[@chadvitale1567]

Bugera all the way. Smoother ( not as harsh on the ears ) and has more bass in the balls area.

[@stawel2406]

Great video, much difference for me.... dependent of what you like, both sound good, but I prefer Marshall :)

[@Evowar05]

I'm sorry and I know it's an absurd question, but what settings did you use for the Hendrix riff on the strat? Sounds fat and juicy.

[@Guitar360]

It's been a couple of years back but I remembered it sounded super fuzzy and extreme. Not sure about the settings, It was probably all knobs to 10!

[@Evowar05]

@@Guitar360 super fuzzy and extreme as in bad and you didn't like it? Haha. Thanks for the reply. I subscribed.

[@mbeckwith7514]

Great Demo! love the format...I am hoping some folks here can help...I cannot get my Bugera1960 to sound like this at all. There's a harsh upper end bite, to me it's beyond the typical marshall-esque bite of this circuit flavor. The tone presented here with the Bugera is miles beyond what I can coax out of mine. I bought it to achieve what I am hearing here. Is it because I am using the ppimv? Anyone have any thoughts?

[@Guitar360]

Hi Mark B, good thing you asked. You're hunch is right. When engaging the built in attenuator of the Bugera 1960 a very harsh high end is introduced to the tone. So if you want to tame the volume and save your hearing getting a dedicated attenuator unit will give you back the tone you're looking for. A relatively cheap, tested and good sounding attenuator is the Jettenuator by Soldano. Make sure it can disperse it's heat freely. You'll be able the run the amp whispering quiet without sounding so harsh in the top end. Good luck! Do like the channel if you think the video and advice were usefull ;)

[@mbeckwith7514]

Guitar 360 I Appreciate the response! I'm on the trail of a jettenuator!

[@charlesdahl3179]

U have two volume controls. Turn number two up and number one down

[@PeterDad60]

@@charlesdahl3179 Wrong. it does not work like that.

[@RandyFricke]

I wish there was a way to snip the bright cap on the Bugera. It's on the circuit board whereas the bright cap on the Marshall is right on the pot. Anyone have any ideas? Or maybe I'll just stick with my Pre-Infinium 6260 2x12 Combo which except for a re-tubing (to Svetlana EL34's) has operated every day since August of 2015 with no problems.

[@Guitar360]

Hi Randy, that's another difference that is good to know. Although I understand the need to make the tone less piercing I think removing the bright cap won't get you closer to that typical Marshall 1959 super lead tone... Personally I like using the Presence en Treble knob on the amp to lower the sharpness of the sound on lower volumes. Or sometimes the tone knob on the guitar to get particular sounds. However when your using the amp on higher volumes the tone becomes drastically muffeled and muddy, even with the Presence and Treble open. That's the moment where you'd wish you did not remove the bright cap... So that are just my thoughts on that. But everyone has their own preference off course. Good luck and please do like the channel if the video/comment was helpfull, it's much appreciated.

[@RandyFricke]

​@@Guitar360 Great comment G360. My rationale for clipping that bright cap is that it was originally part of the circuitry when players dimed everything. I got this directly from a Marshall tech. I had a 1987X that my son had been fiddling with and I didn't check the controls before turning it on. When I put it off standby the shriek literally put me on my knees. My ears ring to this day from it. The bright cap was relevant in the '60s and '70s but today it's just not necessary. IMHO of course.

[@kazzTrismus]

Thanks to the high tech industry there literally thousands of people with high end soldering skills capable of doing that or you sir....just because most amp techs are not used to circuit boards is why they complain.... go to a GOOD tv/stereo repair shop doing the newer products and theyll do it cheap cuz its baby stuff to them... Luckily theres tons of schematics for them to figure it out in minutes

[@danadrian2752]

Very close Bugera was warmer and more compressed, Marshall was brighter and more open. Bugera matches slightly better with single coils and the Marshall with humbuckers.

[@jacktowers7533]

When you realise you can Buy a bugera, 1960, 1990, 6260(62) and a 333XL Infinium for the price of a single Marshall 1959 or JCM800

[@Guitar360]

Hahaha OUCH Marshall, but you're right. The price of the Bugera's as amazing!

[@meowanderson2189]

one HUGE real world diferece is build quality. ive blown 2 bugeras playing them the way a 1959 is built to be played... not worth 600 once its blown, costs money to build something not surface mounted & made of cheap componants. the tone difference is same w cheap mics vs normal mics. cheap components sound tinny and flabby bass wise. feels like plugging an electiric direct into a pa in comparison

[@BillDerBerg]

I like the Bugera better

[@kosycat1]

The bugera has slightly more bass from what i can hear I've had one for a long time I like it does Hendrix tone very well

[@Guitar360]

Hi Jon, you're right VERY well! ;)

[@mbeckwith7514]

Do you mind sharing your tone settings on your Bugera for Hendrix flavors? Do you use an attenuator?

[@Guitar360]

Hello Mark B, if remembered correctly the setting for the Little Wing example was channel1 volume just beyond the point of (a slight) break-up, presence, bass, mid, treble around 12 o'clock. The Purple Haze example was played with cascaded channels all knobs all the way open. "A relatively cheap, tested and good sounding attenuator is the Jettenuator by Soldano" Yesterday the Bugera 1960 was running for 5 straight hours on the Jettenuator once more. In this video another attenuator was used (see green signal chain at the top): Weber Mass 200.

[@briansnc2008]

Remember cabinet and speaker are a factor. I know this is done in a DAW, but in real life with speakers, they matter for tone more than is realized

[@vincentzaalberg]

Hi, this comparison was done using a real life cabinet and mic setup. The cabinet was a Marshall 1960BHW. It’s the matching cabinet for the amp head which has four Celestion G12H30 speakers inside. The mic was a Røde NT-1A condenser.

[@jimcamp2423]

I didn't prefer any of the playback recorded segments for either speaker, that's human differences from live performance to live performance by an artist/band. In that regard the Bugera is the clear winner in real world comparison of the two. How this plays out somewhere down the road for life of the gear components is anyone's guess. The Bugera can be completely replaced for the difference in price though, which means you can have a complete backup system or even upgrade when a failure does happen. At this point it becomes a perception of a brand name and history of Marshall is always going to command the higher MSRP. It's definitely not worth $ 2,400 more to me. Bugera dialed in the Marshall here on the sound, even made it look a lot better too.

[@Guitar360]

Hi Jim, your right about the price difference, it's huge. Though the performances are 100% identical because they are the same DI track being send through a reamp box. Just to keep the comparison in perspective.

[@바캉새우]

Can anyone tell me the song title for 2:40 PLEASE???

[@Guitar360]

It’s a faster played version of the rhythm part of Satisfaction by The Rolling Stones!

[@바캉새우]

@@Guitar360 Apreciate it a lot sir! Video was very helpful !!

[@timothyjay2012]

Totally Proving Technology has caught up to the point that you don't have to spend $3,000 dollars for a 1971 Superlead to record Classic Marshall Plexi tones!!!!

[@PeterDad60]

No not technology, but rather China pricing products to undercut the real deal originals!

[@RandyFricke]

Like Gibson and KISS, Marshall has been trading on their legacy and should have "retired" in Y2K. I have a pre-Infinium 6260 Bugera that I wouldn't trade for 10 Marshalls.

[@DCWelker]

yeah, I really dig my Trirec a lot

[@chrisw1460]

How did you turn that into a "throw-KISS-under-the-bus" comment? Impressive.

[@chrisw1460]

@HULK HOGAN oh, the irony is delicious

[@metalinyourhead3604]

Only time difference I can hear is that the Bugera is more trebly. But I cant tell if the y have the same settings.

[@Guitar360]

Yes same settings!

[@lal2235]

Is there Any bugera with this quality but in a smaller budget (Im poor) and I need something around 50 watts of not less

[@Guitar360]

LA L simply visit Bugera’s site to see their latest product line. I heard the Lonestar combo imitation and the sound is impressive.

[@PeterDad60]

Bugera T50 Infinium. 50 watts and only $399.

[@m.a.d.5503]

The Bugera got a bit more gain and „bite“ i think its a pretty good amp. Both sound pretty similar. I think for early 70s sound the Marshall wins because it got morr warmth. The Bugera would be nicer for late 70s or early 80s sound.

[@R3dbudd]

Throw JJ 6v6 in that thing so you can open it up. And use something in the loop with a level on it, rack fx or a pedal or line mixer. I hear the PPIMV when engaged steals tone from this thing.

[@Guitar360]

The Bugera 1960 comes with mastervolume knob in the back that can be bypassed or engaged. Although it lowers the volume effectively when engaged, the sound of the amp changes drastically and beyond recognizable as a plexi tone. If you want to avoid this brittle, harsh tone you'll need a dedicated attenuator for volume control. I can confirm the Bugera 1960 will work and sound really well with a Jettanuator by Soldano, which is not to expensive for a dedicated attenuator. However connecting the Jettenuator or 100 watt attenuators like the SPL Reducer, Palmer PDI06, Koch LB120 between the Marshall 1959 and a matching speakercabinet will permanently damage either the Marshall's transformer or the attenuator beyond repair within hours of use. A costly experience, I can tell you first hand. For the Marshall I recommend a 200 watt attenuator like the Weber Mass 200, which will work fine.

[@R3dbudd]

I meant a volume control in the loop. Ya, you definitely need to keep a speaker load on it.

[@Guitar360]

Did run tests with a Marshall 1959SLP which has an added FX-loop, just like the Bugera 1960 infinium. A volume control in the loop will work BUT as you lower the volume so will the amount of breakup/distortion. A distorted tone at lower volume won't be possible this way.

[@R3dbudd]

Good to know sir. Definitely gonna pick one up to play around with. Might just get the old version on the cheap and have it master volume modded.

[@infectionsman]

6v6 is a bad idea. The bias current will be way off (34mA, but should be ~22mA at 478v plate voltage for jj6v6s) and this will kill your tubes fast. The plate voltage is also on the high side. JJ6V6S is the strongest 6v6 there is but it will still fry at 500v plate voltage. (My 1960 infinium has 478volts.) The impedance is also wrong for 6v6! So be safe and use the el34 tubes. If you want lower volume with the el34 tubes: remove the inner 2x el34s in this pattern OXXO. And set your amps impedance switch to half the value of the speaker. That gives you a 50w amp. The empty tube sockets should be covered with electrical tape. Obviously do all of this with the power cord removed and the tubes completely cold! Now at 50w you can use cheap attenuators like the Jet city Jettenuator without frying them. They can be had used for like 70usd.

[@Crunchifyable2]

the Marshall sounded like a Marshall...it had the snarl in the mids. The Bugera for whatever reason was a bit darker as everyone had said and to me, didn't really come off as holy grail tone or anything. So to me, the Marshall sounded like a Marshall imitation. The Bugera didn't even seem close.

[@piotrkochanek3192]

i have this bugera 1960 infinium and it's amazing amp. and cheap ;-) and more power than marshall ;-)

[@mikeymumblesreal]

The Bugera is more versatile and thousands cheaper. Just a different animal. 800 is different, each Marshall is different. Love my 1960...2 years, not a hint of trouble, laughing to the bar with thousands saved

[@bejonatrans]

i am playing two years on my Bugera and on the Randy mode ,sorryMarsh ,my 1960 is the best amp i EVER had ,if i ever change ,because the weight is Very Heavy, i take a Roadie to take care ,smile smile smile

[@vilewisher8786]

Spoiler alert: Guitar 360 recorded both tracks with the Bugera. LOL

[@Guitar360]

LOL good one. Better check your ears though ;)

[@vilewisher8786]

:D I like both amps. HAHA

[@Guitar360]

Absolutely, they both have their pro's and con's and provide very usable sounds.

[@charlesdahl3179]

The Marshall has a more tidy sound but honestly the bugera sounds more Marshall ish

[@fulviobrucato]

Which input you used on the Bugera? Upper left?

[@Guitar360]

Yes upper left!

[@fulviobrucato]

@@Guitar360 and for the 1959HW? Upper left jumpered?

[@miko8732]

Wow, I could barely hear a difference, the bugera was a tiny bit more pronounced in the low ends but I'm saving myself £2000 and getting a bugera.

[@Guitar360]

It's terrific!

[@miko8732]

@@Guitar360 I know, I really like the superlead amps but they're so expensive, unless I was a famous guitarist I probably wouldn't be able to justify getting one.

[@sebastianbravoperez6635]

Creo que al Bugera le falta graves, pero creería que subiéndole un poco los bajos, quedaría muy similar al 1959. Con la Start quedó increíble el Bugera.

[@TheNocturnalEvil]

The part from 0:11 to 0:34, Bugera has a harsh upper end fizz. From 0:35 to 0:58, the riffs on the Bugera sound absolutely muddy compared to the Marshall. The part from 1:41 to 1:53 with the EVH guitar, the difference is even more obvious in that part, the tone of Bugera in that part sounds too much scooped, harsh, muddy and fuzzy than the Marshall. The the part from 1:54 to 2:04, the sound of the Bugera is once again harsh and grainy compared to the Marshall. The part from 2:17 to 2:29, the Bugera has a harsh upper end bite that I don't hear from the Marshall. The part from 2:29 to 2:41, the Bugera once again has a scooped sound with harsh high end bite. So overall I would say the Marshall sounds better to my ears.

[@sttyves]

..I own the 1959 and my bandmate like my tone son much and didn't have the cash for a real marshall he went for the bugera...at first the bugera I

[@tomscioscia9869]

What tubes were in each?

[@Guitar360]

Stock. Bugera: 3 12ax7 preamp, 4 el34 poweramp I believe. Marshall: 3 ecc83 preamp, 4 el34 poweramp. I once swapped some preamp tubes in the Marshall and it made a huge difference especially in the amount of distortion.

[@tomscioscia9869]

I meant specifically what brands/models. I know Bugera ships with rebranded tubes from Shuguang, China. I don't remember what Marshall ships with as it's changed over time. They used to ship with Winged-C at one point before that company fell apart.

[@Guitar360]

+Tom Scioscia oh right. In this demo the Marshall has JJ's in it. Not sure if it shipped with JJ's as well but if I remember correctly it did.

[@tomscioscia9869]

I wonder how they'd compare if you pulled the tubes out of the Marshall a popped them into the Bugera. That would eliminate a key difference.

[@Guitar360]

Interesting thought. I imagine VERY close.

[@AudreyYun]

wtf the bugera actually sounds better XDDD

[@hamzavdeast359]

i tink de ret won ist beter

[@ShiningTrapezoid]

You've got the 1959 set like shit and the Bugera won't come close to the huge clean sound of the Plexi's normal channel.

[@Guitar360]

The knobs are set identical in every comparison Shining Trapezoid ;)

[@roncross2024]

Bugera sounds like what it is a cheap knock off. You can hear the difference back to back but in a live or mix setting probably not. Bugera has less life in the notes and more of a cheap combo sound to it with more low end and a grainy mid range. The marshall has the same sustain but the attack and carry of the note is nice and smooth.

[@hirskdubbi]

Marshall wins. Bugera is fuzzy fizzy

[@Guitar360]

When fully opened the fuzz from the Marshall is definitely different then the fuzz of the Bugera!

[@meowanderson2189]

Bugera kinda sounds like a sim