Bugera G5 Infinium Reviews

Tested with Marshall DSL OR20, Peavey MH 20, Orange rocker 15, Fender B. junior

All I can say the cleans sound suprisingly great and reverb as well. Both clean and OD beats Marshall hands down. Peavey is a joke compare to this. Both twice the price. Speaker simulation for phones is the best I've seen on a tube amp.

Orange Rocker (or Rockerverb) is one of the most versitile on the market and it can't be beaten, with clean tones as well. Fender reverb and clean tones ofcourse. But that's 3 times the price at least and difference isn't that justified. Bugera is GREAT!!! Even if not Your main amp, you can use it as 2nd or 3rd amp with phones at home and get really excellent quality

Great practice amp

I bought this my first tube amp mainly as a home practice amp because of the attenuator. I wanted to get the most out of the tubes without all the unnecessary volume. The attenuator is perfect for this. With .1w you can really practicing at night when people are sleeping. Love the effects loop and footswitch. The emulated headphone output sounds good too. The G5 is a solidly built unit and has exceeded my expectations.

best amplifier

This little amp does everything I could possibly want from a small amp, and even the attenuator is very well executed.

General equalizer, reverb, and "Morph" control knob for crunch and clean channel, gain and tone knob, and volume control for clean channel. The tone knob is the same as the tone knob on Les Paul.

The reverberation in the amplifier is digital. It sounds fine for short tails, but for anything else I'd prefer an external delay pedal. I'm just not crazy about the digital reverb on this device.

About Morph control ... it's not something new in the world of amplifiers, but it works well here. Turn left and get a more modern American Peavey 5150 sound, at the same time when we turn the knob to the right and get a sound like Marshall. But don't be fooled - this is not a Peavey 5150 and not MESA BOOGIE TRIPLE RECTIFIER or a MARSHALL JCM800 ... it just sounds like them.

The footswitch included with this amp is the only thing I don't like, not to say that it doesn't work at all, no just it's not as comfortable as on other amps. The pedal controls channel selection and reverb. Just you will feel that you still have another ... BEHRINGER.

The back of the amp has an effects loop I haven't tried yet, a power attenuator for 5 watts, 1 watt, or 0.1 watts (awesome!). It works really well and I can finally play in my bedroom on normal sound. There is also a line-out, speaker output, and Cabinet emulation. The idea here is to use the Bugera G5 Infinium for recording or monitoring in headphones.

This amp will stay in my bedroom and plugged into a 2x12 guitar Cabinet. I have Les Paul as well as Les Paul hollowbody. Every guitar loves this amp in my bedroom - although the P90 can get a little angular BUZZY. I am constantly satisfied with the sound that comes out of the overload channel with my Les Paul.

Perfect practice amp!

I've had this amp for over an year now and haven't had any troubles. I admit it doesn't have that many hours on it, as I'm only using it at home, but seems to be very reliable so far.

The rated power is "only" 5W, but it can get very loud if you crank it on the overdrive channel!

Mine is connected to a Harley Benton G112 Vingate (open backed with 12" Celestion Vintage 30). Since the speaker sensitivity is 100db, it is possible to annoy the neighbors if desired ;)

The integrated power soak is invaluable if you want to keep the volume low while still getting the high gain sound. Be mindful that when you set it to 1W or 0.1W the sound seems to get more compressed. I do like it best at 5W - using the master volume it's possible to keep the levels "bedroom friendly"

Features are excellent for any amp and for the money you can't really find anything better. The effects loop works well and has a level switch.

Only giving 4 stars as the clean channel has a single tone control, which somewhat limits the flexibility. ISF is nice, but it doesn't have a profound effect on the sound.

The reverb is pretty good and can be switched on/off with the included pedal, which you can't do from the face of the amp.

Finally - the SOUND! Clear channel is chimey and just sings with a strat. Overdrive is rich and responsive, but gets noisy if turned up too much. A pedal in front (OCD clone) works better for higher gain tones if you want to achieve that growling overdriven sound.

I'm really glad I took the plunge and went for a valve amp soon after I started learning to play. Sometimes I just want to plug in and fool around a bit, listening to the great sound and nuances, and inevitably this leads to learning some new lick, riff or song - which is always a bonus!

Recommended!

Incredible value for the money!

For the money I wasn't expecting much, but as I tried the amp for the first time, it really exceeded my expectations.

It has a great clean sound, very musical and dynamic. As far as overdrive goes, even on it's own it delivers a great "punch" and works very well with pedals.

Plus, it is packed full of features like reverb or the power attenuation that is really practicle to use at home... and it even includes the pedal which is really great!

I must say I'm really impressed with it and for the money it's probably impossible to beat.

Not as expected

I'm a "bedroom player" now but had been playing in a band for many years and played through many tube amps. I swapped my Blackstar HT1R combo for this head because it has two channels, a proper FX loop and other attracting features but I have to say that it sounds really lifeless compared to the small HT1R. Dynamically poor distorted sound (whatever gain setting you use) and flat clean (but that's fine considering it's a 5W amp). I swapped the chinese tubes to better ones but with no results. The overall quality and functionality is quite good but it simply doesn't sound right.

Again I'm not expecting a fair comparison with a Mesa Mini Recto but the Blackstar HT1-R, through the same 1X12 cab, sounded way better.

After 6 months I'm selling it.

Everything I need

I bought this amp in January 2016. if I remember correctly, and at the same time I bought Harley Benton G112V to use it only at home. When I say at home, I'm literary using it in the living room, in situations like we are watching something on TV and still want to hear it, to I know neighbours are out and I can do something for myself.

I play mostly blues and jazz, old rock as well, and use with it Duesenberg Starplayer Special and handmade Strat with Fender Noiseless pickups.

Main points in my case: I tested it so far with tens of overdrives and distortions, and I managed to get every single sound with amp alone, which led to selling off that stuff. The only thing I left is actually HB UltraDrive, which I use with clean channel when DigiTech Trio+ is connected to it, and waiting for new DS1 just to have something stronger for the same use case with Trio+.

Humbuckers drive it of course much earlier (with volume on 100% with humbuckers I can't get gain channel clean even with gain on minimum, but can get beautiful tones playing with volume poti on guitar) and with noiseless pickups getting that Clapton/SRV tone all around.

With 0.1W it can get really loud. When I say really, I mean REALLY. With 1W and noiseless pickup clean really sounds beautiful, and gain channel gets all those tweed sounds with presence control there.

It's very nice that it also has FX loop, which I use with Boss GT100 as well lately, where clean (which can be REALLY clean) can be used to avoid G5 preamp and use preamps from GT100. Also lots of very nice combinations.

To be honest, I'm constantly testing something, buying and selling, but I didn't find anything to change G5 with since I bought it. If anything would happen to it, wouldn't think twice to buy it again.

A budget AMP with the quality of a pro model

I never owned a Bugera amplifier before this wonderful device and after ten days of use I can confirm the great choice I've made.

The built quality is really high-grade: materials, components, manufacturing, assembly are conform with top brands.

I also own Marshall, Laney, Roland and Vox amplifiers and this Bugera G5 is perfectly in line with those acclaimed brands.

Features are incredible; there is nothing more one may ask to an amplifier: two channels, reverb unit, UK/US morphing feature, an effective EQ, effect loop, bundled foot-switch for channel selection and reverb On/Off, line input, emulated output/headphone (1x12 and 4x12), 5W/1W/0.1W power attenuator, Tube Life Multiplier technology and auto biasing system.

And what's more, it's a full tube amp!

Sound palette is astonishing: one can choose between a really clear clean channel and a very powerful overdrive channel, playing with an infinite set of intermediate sound configurations. Noise is very well controlled and the output power flexibility gives this amp the capability to be used for home recording, practicing and rehearsal sessions as well.

Both pre-input and in-loop effects are well handled: I prefer to use OD / DIST stompboxes before the input socket but placing them on the FX Loop gives a great sound flexibility (this amp also has a level switch to accomodate the signal level of stompboxes and rack unit EFX).

At the end, the overall rating of this amp (taking into account its target price) is top level!

I know this is a cheap replica of another tube amplifier head but the implementation quality of Bugera is really surprising.

UPDATE after a month of use: I confirm my absolutely positive opinion and with a 12" cabinet loaded with a Fender-Eminence speaker the voice of my Bugera is simply astonishing!!!

Great tone, not that much gain though

So...plugged in my Schecter Banshee Elite and Using cab loaded with Greenbacks here is what I can say:

- great clean tones

- good 3 band EQ for dirty channel

- seems like a solid foot switch

- very decent reverb

- great built in attenuator ( still sounds great even in 0.1W mode)

- good gain channel, You cant however get Metallica tones from it ( maybe from black album, but gain lacks a bit) I used Peavey Vypyr 1 before and it had a bigger bite to the sound, so chucking that low E string was mighty. Here is so so. Nothing you cant fix with OD pedal. I actually dial Gain on half and add OD pedal, and it sounds huge.

Overall very happy with product. I was considering Blackstar HT-5, but additional features on Bugera and £100 price difference made me go with Bugera...and I don't look back :)

Great little practice amp

I was in the market for a practice amp and needed something small that sounded great.

PRACTICE AMP CONSIDERATIONS

For a practice amp, I have two main non-negotiable items that I needed, i) namely a line-in so that I can have backing tracks playing through the amp, and ii) a headphone out so that I can practice in quiet when the kids are sleeping.

There are quite a few solid-state combos that meet these requirements, although not that many solid-heads that do. However, I still recall the first time I played on a proper valve amp and the stupid grin shortly after I struck the first power chord and I was not going to go with anything other than a full valve amp.

So, when looking at valve amps, suddenly I needed a fx loop. If you wish to use the overdrive of your valve amp, it is preferable to plug in pedals after the signal has been overdriven, otherwise the effects just get muddied up. Once you start looking for a valve (or hybrid) amp, that have a line-in, headphone out and a fx loop, you may find that there are not that many options available.

I was pretty hesitant ordering this amp due to the Bugera's (admittedly older) reputation, but decided to give it a chance, since I could always return it and get a Marshall DSL5C (which also ticks all of the boxes).

FEATURES

This is one of the more feature-laden lower-wattage valve amps out there. I discussed most of the features above, except for the auto-biasing feature (Infinium). I can't really test this, but in theory, it should extend tube life, while also maintaining a consistent quality of tone during the various cycles of a tubes life. It will also allow the use of newer tubes (although they need to be the same type) without the need to have a tech bias them.

QUALITY

In any case, when it arrived, I was pleasantly surprised at the build quality. It is pretty sturdy and looks like a top notch product. I have not looked at the internals, but from the outside it looks just as well built as a Marshall.

SOUND

Yes, this amp can also elicit a stupid grin when playing power chords. I get great AC/DC sounds in 0.1W mode with a little bit of gain for the preamp and a lot of volume for the power amp. When I want 80s metal sounds, I turn up the gain and turn down the volume.

The clean channel works quite well at home, but I never pushed it to the max. I spend most of my time on the dirty channel and just control that with the volume pot which suits my needs perfectly.

Much more than a great deal!

Well above my expectations!! Definitely has the sound and the material quality of a much more expensive high wattage amp. head

decent amp

Positive

price,headphone/speaker sim,morph control ,loop,wide range of driven sounds,metal switches and solid jacks and caseing

Negative

Reverb sounds fake,plastic knobs,limited control for the clean channel,dull sounding tubes which i changed and it made the amp "come alive "more,it may have built in tube biasing which is cool but that wont tell you how it sounds.

generaly a great deal,not really for the clean sound purist ,more a bedroom rocker that can get loud enough to annoy the folks next door or quiet enough without sounding thin.

Authentic Tube

Visit the Bugera website that's what convinced me to buy .. fully featured tube amp .. can plug straight into mixer/PA .. Problem solved .. price affordable.

Great little amp. But packed up after warranty finished so confined to loft.

Bugera G5 my new one for all practice amp!

The new Bugera G5 amp has more features than you´ll ever need!

T h e b u i l t i n P O W E R S O A K

First of all it has 5 watts of tube power, but has a built in power soak where you can switch it down to 1 watt or even 0.1 watt. That is very useful if you want to practice at low volumes at home. I play it mostly on one watt at home and use it with my Palmer 1x12 cabinet which is loaded with a Celestion Greenback speaker.

T H E C L E A N C h a n n e l

The clean channel sounds very beautiful, crystal clear and stays clean even if you drive it hard, depending on the pickups of your guitar. If you set it to 0.1 watt, you can drive it to a crunch sound. The reverb sounds fantastic, but be careful not to raise the reverb level too high or you might sound as if you play in a cathedral. The clean channel can be shaped with one several tone control, which works very well, you won´t miss a three band EQ.

T H E O V E R D R I V E C h a n n e l

The overdrive channel might be the reason why most people buy this amp. I would describe the sound of the OD channel as hot rodded "marshallish". But is has its own character. It can be shaped by a three band EQ and the special Morph EQ which shapes the midrange and helps you to realize more British or American style tones. I mostly use it on the UK side with my Les Paul (about 3 o´clock on the dial), with my Strat I often turn it to noon.

I play mostly rock or hard rock from AC/DC to Led Zep. to Guns and Roses or even 80s metal and it does a good job for this kind of music.

T H E E X T R A S of the Bugera - and the "I N F I N I U M" Technology

It comes with a well built footswitch, which can be used to go from the clean channel to the od. channel and to switch the reverb on and off.

It has a line out which can be used for recording (if you connect the head to a mixer or interface) or you can use it with headphones.

You can put the amp on standby, when used with headphones: This will mute the speaker cabinet and you can practice even at night without annoying your neighbours.

The infinium tube LED at the back of the head will indicate if your power tube has to be changed. If you have to change the power tube, you can just simply put the new tube in and the amp will do the biasing automaticly.

The G5 uses one ECC83a tube in the preamp and a 12BH7 tube in the power amp section.

I haven´t used the FX loop so far. The amp has a line in which can be used to connect the head to your MP3player/device so that you can practice to your music. The only point I have to criticize is that the amp produces an unpleasant smell when getting hot, for example if you have used it very long. But this is getting better and I think the smell will disappear in a few weeks and won´t bother me any longer.

Overall I´m very satisfied with the Bugera.

Edit: I have it for 5 weeks now and the unpleasant smell has disappeared completely! I´m still very happy with this amp!