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I own a couple of high gain amps and mostly play metal or punk but lately I've been wanting a lower gain amp for classic rock, blues, etc. The first real amp I owned was a Marshall 1987X, I had a JMP 2204 for a few days during a gear flip and I've played pretty much every amp you can find in your typical guitar stores. I also spend too much time listening to clips and reading forums or reviews on the internet so I have a pretty good idea that what I wanted was some type of Marshall Plexi.
Considering my options for a real Marshall I felt that I would have to spend $1000-$2500 for any used plexi I might want. Any new Marshall I looked at was about $3000-5000. This was far beyond what I wanted to spend for an amp I would use part time. I couldn't justify it.
Then I had the bright idea that I would build a Marshall amp from a kit. I'm not that best at soldering but I can follow a simple schematic and do it. Putting a kit together looked like depending on the quality you'd be spending $1000-$2000 and then probably doing the work yourself. Not for me and at that price I would rather just have a used Marshall.
Looking at the boutique manufactures, clones, etc. most of them were around the same price as a real Marshall. They probably did use better components, slightly better circuit but at the price they wanted I would rather just get a real Marshall.
By accident I came across the Bugera 1960 Infiunium. The amp had the layout of any other Marshall plexi clone amp. I knew the reputation of Bugera and laughed at first. I've bought a few pieces of broken Bugera gear and done simple fixes to flip it. Just about everyone has read a horror story about them on the internet. Then there was the fact that if you look at a lot of the gear they sell it is almost all copies of other gear manufactures. I thought about that for a while because I do find it to be unethical but it's not illegal and every plexi clone is basically ripping off Marshall; kind of like how Marshall ripped off the Fender Bassman circuit, etc.
Anyway, I looked at the reviews and they were mostly excellent. All the clips I could find and the amp sounded just as good as any Marshall plexi or clone amp I could find. I read the manual and it seemed just like any plexi clone with all the features I wanted. What sold me was the infinium tube technology. I no longer needed matched power tubes, didn't have to bias the amplifier and I could throw just about any combination of power tubes in the amplifier and it would auto bias them and tell me when there's a problem with little lights on the back. Apparently this technology also extends the life of the tubes.
I patiently waited and found a great deal online. The amplifier was brand new, delivered to my house with duties and taxes paid for $530. Hooked it up to a 4x12 with V30s and it was exactly what I was looking for. There were the plexi tones I imagined. Everything worked exactly like I expected. The only negatives to the amplifier are the extreme levels of volume it requires to have it sound optimal. Almost everyone warns you about this with plexi type amplifiers and this amp is no exception. I describe it as louder than a jackhammer but quieter than an airplane. The master volume on this amplifier isn't perfect but it's decent. I've had the amplifier for over 6 months now and I typically play it a few hours every week and I'm still extremely happy with my purchase.
Considering my options for a real Marshall I felt that I would have to spend $1000-$2500 for any used plexi I might want. Any new Marshall I looked at was about $3000-5000. This was far beyond what I wanted to spend for an amp I would use part time. I couldn't justify it.
Then I had the bright idea that I would build a Marshall amp from a kit. I'm not that best at soldering but I can follow a simple schematic and do it. Putting a kit together looked like depending on the quality you'd be spending $1000-$2000 and then probably doing the work yourself. Not for me and at that price I would rather just have a used Marshall.
Looking at the boutique manufactures, clones, etc. most of them were around the same price as a real Marshall. They probably did use better components, slightly better circuit but at the price they wanted I would rather just get a real Marshall.
By accident I came across the Bugera 1960 Infiunium. The amp had the layout of any other Marshall plexi clone amp. I knew the reputation of Bugera and laughed at first. I've bought a few pieces of broken Bugera gear and done simple fixes to flip it. Just about everyone has read a horror story about them on the internet. Then there was the fact that if you look at a lot of the gear they sell it is almost all copies of other gear manufactures. I thought about that for a while because I do find it to be unethical but it's not illegal and every plexi clone is basically ripping off Marshall; kind of like how Marshall ripped off the Fender Bassman circuit, etc.
Anyway, I looked at the reviews and they were mostly excellent. All the clips I could find and the amp sounded just as good as any Marshall plexi or clone amp I could find. I read the manual and it seemed just like any plexi clone with all the features I wanted. What sold me was the infinium tube technology. I no longer needed matched power tubes, didn't have to bias the amplifier and I could throw just about any combination of power tubes in the amplifier and it would auto bias them and tell me when there's a problem with little lights on the back. Apparently this technology also extends the life of the tubes.
I patiently waited and found a great deal online. The amplifier was brand new, delivered to my house with duties and taxes paid for $530. Hooked it up to a 4x12 with V30s and it was exactly what I was looking for. There were the plexi tones I imagined. Everything worked exactly like I expected. The only negatives to the amplifier are the extreme levels of volume it requires to have it sound optimal. Almost everyone warns you about this with plexi type amplifiers and this amp is no exception. I describe it as louder than a jackhammer but quieter than an airplane. The master volume on this amplifier isn't perfect but it's decent. I've had the amplifier for over 6 months now and I typically play it a few hours every week and I'm still extremely happy with my purchase.
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