Ampeg SVT copy.....fab price

[danbowskill]

https://reverb.com/uk/item/2703006-bugera-bvv3000-vintage-style-300w-all-tube-bass-amplifier-head-full-warranty

A lot of people have said this is a very good copy ( and sounds the same) of an all tube CL.
Worth a punt at that price if anyone's after a cheap all valver

[JapanAxe]

Mighty tempted but couldn't live with over 2in of overhang each side of my cabs - aargh!

[danbowskill]

I'd imagine the power tubes wouldn't be that great at that price point......£150 n whack in some tung sols or similar n you will be laughing.
I would actually fancy trying one alongside my SVT to see how close they are?

[Twincam]

[quote name='danbowskill' timestamp='1474916142' post='3141531']
I'd imagine the power tubes wouldn't be that great at that price point......£150 n whack in some tung sols or similar n you will be laughing.
I would actually fancy trying one alongside my SVT to see how close they are?
[/quote]

Bugera use generic but half decent Chinese tubes like many other brands then they test/age them etc and select the best ones I seen this on a factory tour vid. Here is a pic of there testing. So while they ain't high end there tubes are alright.

[URL=http://s330.photobucket.com/user/Twincam2008/media/Mobile%20Uploads/P1000337_zps5dnqi0dq.jpg.html][IMG]http://i330.photobucket.com/albums/l415/Twincam2008/Mobile%20Uploads/P1000337_zps5dnqi0dq.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Edited September 26, 2016 by Twincam

[Sparky Mark]

The Bugera valves are pretty good, made by Shuguang.

[skidder652003]

Like to see how long those handles last if its anything like the weight of an SVT!

[Sparky Mark]

The handles are heavy duty and shouldn't be a problem assuming that you are strong enough to lift 35kg.

[Funky Dunky]

https://www.youtube.com/shared?ci=gJj0L5n7Ng0

Sounds fantastic to me, really gutsy. I like it.

Edited September 28, 2016 by Funky Dunky

[lowhand_mike]

does sound pretty nice, thing that i find strange is that he has the master volume on 10! surely that would be mega loud, he must live out in the woods. like the way the camera starts to shake when he ups the gain

[Sparky Mark]

I was GASing for an SVT but the new price and potential servicing costs put me off. I saw one of these new for approximately £350 and really liked the idea that you didn't need to use matched valves or worry about bias adjustments; so no routine service costs.

I bought it just to see if the hype surrounding all valve amps is justified and I have to say that even this Bugera sounds amazing. There is an almost three dimensional (can't think of a better way to describe it ) character to its sound; depth and clarity in abundance.

I've had a couple of minor issues around transit damage to a couple of output valves but the infinium circuit worked correctly and simple swap outs fixed it.

I doubt I will gig this amp regularly as it is too big and heavy for my typical venues but for this price I couldn't resist scratching my valve GAS itch.

Edited September 28, 2016 by Sparky Mark

[Sparky Mark]

[quote name='lowhand_mike' timestamp='1475058159' post='3142643']
does sound pretty nice, thing that i find strange is that he has the master volume on 10! surely that would be mega loud, he must live out in the woods. like the way the camera starts to shake when he ups the gain
[/quote]

You can drive the output valves harder by turning the master full up and controlling the volume with the gain/input control. A lot of valve amp users like the unique sound that driving the output valves harder gives. It doesn't sound the same as overdriving the preamp section.

[Dood]

I'd love to have a look inside - my SVT2 Pro (an older model) could easily withstand knocks and drops throughout it's life on the road. I'd be concerned where the cost cutting was made in this copy. Cheaper components? Poor soldering? Weak PCB boards?

[Sparky Mark]

[quote name='dood' timestamp='1475090178' post='3143032']
I'd love to have a look inside - my SVT2 Pro (an older model) could easily withstand knocks and drops throughout it's life on the road. I'd be concerned where the cost cutting was made in this copy. Cheaper components? Poor soldering? Weak PCB boards?
[/quote]

Cheap labour is the main saving, which is why Ampeg now makes its amps including the SVT in the far east. If you want an SVT assembled in the USA from almost the same parts (Heritage) it'll cost you £500 more. These amps are extremely labour intensive and I don't see how Bugera (Behringer) made a profit on them; which could be why they don't seem to be making them anymore. I have investigated mine internally as far as I felt safe and all the parts are of good quality. I doubt that it would survive life on the road as long as the proven over nearly 50 years SVT though.

Edited September 28, 2016 by Sparky Mark

[Fisheth]

Word of caution, they're known in the guitar world for their unreliability (Behringer) and they used to set themselves on fire due to a plastic clip in the amplifiers which overheated.

It's a good price and I'd be tempted myself however.

[Sparky Mark]

[quote name='Fisheth' timestamp='1475098063' post='3143119']
Word of caution, they're known in the guitar world for their unreliability (Behringer) and they used to set themselves on fire due to a plastic clip in the amplifiers which overheated.

It's a good price and I'd be tempted myself however.
[/quote]

I did a lot of research before pulling the trigger on this and found no evidence, reliable or otherwise, that Bugera bvv3000 amps are any more likely to catch fire than any other. For every user that complains about Behringer quality there seems to be another that has owned their products for years of reliable service. They offer a three year warranty so any issues should arise if you use it fairly regularly. If mine self destructs outside warranty I will just put it down to experience and treasure the good times we'd shared. I don't think I will ever be happy to spend over a grand on a far east made valve amp. AD200B might tempt me if they ever add auto bias.

[Fisheth]

[quote name='Sparky Mark' timestamp='1475101562' post='3143153']
I did a lot of research before pulling the trigger on this and found no evidence, reliable or otherwise, that Bugera bvv3000 amps are any more likely to catch fire than any other. For every user that complains about Behringer quality there seems to be another that has owned their products for years of reliable service. They offer a three year warranty so any issues should arise if you use it fairly regularly. If mine self destructs outside warranty I will just put it down to experience and treasure the good times we'd shared. I don't think I will ever be happy to spend over a grand on a far east made valve amp. AD200B might tempt me if they ever add auto bias
[/quote]\


Let us know how it works out, been thinking about buying one of these as a backup for my Ashdown CTM100, but I need another cab as they only take 4 ohms.

Anyway, good luck with it. It's a nice price.

[Sparky Mark]

I've owned it for over a year and all is well so far with light use. I don't see myself ever being able to test its reliability as a regular gigging amp though. However if you are looking for a great (SVT) sounding all valve amp for your home/studio then for the same price as your average solid state offering this could work very well.

[Lozz196]

Is this the amp you brought the the Herts Bash, Mark? If so I can certainly confirm the sound of these is very good, though my puny limbs wouldn`t be able to move it very far.

[Sparky Mark]

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1475161600' post='3143610']
Is this the amp you brought the the Herts Bash, Mark? If so I can certainly confirm the sound of these is very good, though my puny limbs wouldn`t be able to move it very far.
[/quote]

It is indeed Lozz. And it was only firing on 2 of the 3 pairs of output valves that day due to a faulty valve.

[Subthumper]

Personally I'd get a second hand svt and then have it thoroughly serviced by an svt specialist. Even though svts can be a pain to fix at least they can be and all the spares and technical data and schematics are available. My experience of (trying) to repair behringer and bugera gear is lack of technical support ie they won't give out schematics and the damn things are made using lead free solder which is a total pain. So now I don't work on any of their stuff.
If you want a Ferrari buy a Ferrari, not a Toyota.

[Sparky Mark]

[quote name='Subthumper' timestamp='1475180813' post='3143887']
Personally I'd get a second hand svt and then have it thoroughly serviced by an svt specialist. Even though svts can be a pain to fix at least they can be and all the spares and technical data and schematics are available. My experience of (trying) to repair behringer and bugera gear is lack of technical support ie they won't give out schematics and the damn things are made using lead free solder which is a total pain. So now I don't work on any of their stuff.
If you want a Ferrari buy a Ferrari, not a Toyota.
[/quote]

I understand your point even though your car analogy is poor. Hardly any of us could afford to buy and maintain a Ferrari, so Dacia and Cadillac would be more like it. Almost all modern high density SMT based amplifiers are beyond the repair capabilities of traditional amp techs, but we just hope that they will be reliable beyond the warranty period (which they mostly are). The Chinese built Ampegs will also use lead free solder (same as everyone else due to RoHS and WEEE directives) so that's going to be a universal problem for you.

If I thought I was going to gig regularly with a 300 watt tube amp, the SVT would be towards the top of my list but even second hand plus a new tube set and service would be north of a grand and that's too much for most of us as well.

This amp was so cheap (relatively ) that I couldn't resist. I would only recommend it to those that fancy a bit of tube action and understand/accept the possible risks.

Edited September 30, 2016 by Sparky Mark