Great comparison! I've owned both and since the Bugera 333XL is based on the Peavey JSX, while not being 100% accurate, it is a bit brighter, tighter and dryer by nature. The Ultra Plus is darker, smoother (or warmer) and juuuust a tad bit looser. Like I mentioned in a comment below, if you disconnect the Ultra Plus reverb tank, the reverb knob becomes like a presence, which is awesome :) Personally, I always preferred the Ultra Plus because it's fuller sounding and the boost button engaged on the lead channel is where the amp shines imho. It was ahead of its time in terms of features with the half power switch and the boost buttons. But both amps are great in their own rights :)
Thank you, you're spot on with "dryer" I've got a Jet City which is a Soldano Hotrod 50 plus basically and the Ultra Plus is half way between the lush rich harmonically stuffed full Jet City and the "dry" Bugera, The Bugera can't do a hot rod Marshall ish tone but the Ultra Plus can, especially in crunch, Jet City basically is a mega hot rod Marshall but lacks the thump of the Ultra Plus... it's just fantastic for a 3 channel amp for sure.
@@Fergieguitar Absolutely! And yes the crunch channel on the Ultra Plus is a good hot rodded Marshall tone for sure :) I've owned two Ultra Plus in my lifetime so far but I'm sure I'll get a third one at some point haha I still have my Peavey 3120 loaded with KT77 that I really love, apart from the fact that it's noisy as hell haha I have a tendency of acquiring and reselling gear A LOT (haha) but I always come back to Peavey. Always. I had amps 3x the price of my 3120 that I sold. Even used, Peavey amps are still, imho, really hard to beat in terms of value for money. It's a shame what the company became though because I would love them bring new great amps on the market.
@@bengirard1984 oh the 3120 is a great amp , rebranded XXX isn't is but with no street cred.... I did suggest that all the James Brown amps should be re released as a "flagship" brand, the JB Series because his name carries so much weight
@@Fergieguitar That would be a good idea actually! hehe James Brown is responsible for so many maps that people love (and not just with Peavey) :) On a side note, that's why I bought a 3120 because the XXX has always been ugly to me hahaha
Defenitely the Bugera. As far as I can hear there is more brightness. The lead chanel beats the Peavy by miles. But that is how I hear it. Nice duo by the way!👌
Thanks, I go back and forth, the Bugera is tighter, more modern, less "hairy" so it really does depend on style, but both are dam good for rock and metal..Bugera wins in how easy it is to get...and has a guarantee and yeh it's a lot brighter...I've mainly been using the Peavey Windsor lately, boosted with an SD 1, it's pure 80s heavy rock and less tight but sweet to play.
@@Fergieguitar I don't know if you knew, but if you disconnect the reverb tank, the reverb knob becomes like a presence :) I did it on the last Ultra Plus I had and it made a big difference because yes, as much as I love the amp, it is a bit inherently too dark for me stock.
@@bengirard1984 yup I knew that,it can make is scary bright too, I think I get away with it being dark because I do get to turn it LOUD and the V30 speakers are quite bright but yeh, it's a dark amp but if pushed, nothing a EQ in the fx loop wont fix
I think its great for a budget triple threat or jsx, or if you're owning your first tube amp, but yeah. I think you could fix the thin tone on it with a pre amp booster if anyone really just wants to stick with the 333xl @@Fergieguitar
@@kmfdm5 i do tone shape the Bugera with an EQ pedal in the loop and an overdrive in the front, then it's amazing but I thought best to keep both amps totally dry for this. However, I'd not add any EQ to the Peavey.
Hello, thank you for the video, the Bugera amp is still alive, I bought the Bugera 333XL infiniun a few weeks ago and I returned it to Thomann the next day because the volume of the two distortion channels does not work and the clean channel could not even be heard, here I'm waiting for a response from the store and I don't know whether to accept a new Bugera or better get my money back and buy another head from another brand! greetings
That's very strange, it should be scary loud, hopefully you will get a response but I've had mine for 6 years with no issues at all and it's fantastic live, if you like the tones, I'd get another, if mine ever fails, i'll get another, I hope they sort it out for you.
im on my SECOND peavey ultra 120. The xxl is ok.. BUT that peavey has the WOW FACTOR!!.. and is BAD ASS. NO I WONT SELL MY SECOND ONE!!! . i wont be stupid twice.
I still am, it's a great amp but yeh, there's a richness in the tone from the Peavey, BUT the dryer Bugera tone suits down tuned modern metal a bit more. Both are stock preamp tubes..I just hope Peavey get the love this amp deserves.its glorious
@@michaelkeudel8770 I think it might get me closer but the EQ is very different, the resonance control makes a big odds and at that volume, the power amp was not really a factor. PRE AMP would voice it differently but I'd be surprised if it got much closer.
@@michaelkeudel8770 I've seen that, i think the sort of the point of this video was more that you can get both amps for about the same money on the used market, compare the two , when starting to swap out 4 working power tubes adds, 120€ on the price, 4 pre amp tubes is another 60-80€ and if you'd to pay to have an amp modded, that adds a good bit too. Even on a new Bugera , to do those mods could put you well past a used JSX or a used 5150 and past a 6505+ . I love my Bugera, it's huge eq sweep lets it work well with just about any cab.Just now I'm loving the Peavey Windsor, different style but a great gigging amp, that would suit the Les Paul in a Marshall JCM800 way...but with a resonance for thud. SO much so, I'm trying to get another
Great comparison! I've owned both and since the Bugera 333XL is based on the Peavey JSX, while not being 100% accurate, it is a bit brighter, tighter and dryer by nature. The Ultra Plus is darker, smoother (or warmer) and juuuust a tad bit looser. Like I mentioned in a comment below, if you disconnect the Ultra Plus reverb tank, the reverb knob becomes like a presence, which is awesome :) Personally, I always preferred the Ultra Plus because it's fuller sounding and the boost button engaged on the lead channel is where the amp shines imho. It was ahead of its time in terms of features with the half power switch and the boost buttons. But both amps are great in their own rights :)
Thank you, you're spot on with "dryer" I've got a Jet City which is a Soldano Hotrod 50 plus basically and the Ultra Plus is half way between the lush rich harmonically stuffed full Jet City and the "dry" Bugera, The Bugera can't do a hot rod Marshall ish tone but the Ultra Plus can, especially in crunch, Jet City basically is a mega hot rod Marshall but lacks the thump of the Ultra Plus... it's just fantastic for a 3 channel amp for sure.
@@Fergieguitar Absolutely! And yes the crunch channel on the Ultra Plus is a good hot rodded Marshall tone for sure :) I've owned two Ultra Plus in my lifetime so far but I'm sure I'll get a third one at some point haha I still have my Peavey 3120 loaded with KT77 that I really love, apart from the fact that it's noisy as hell haha I have a tendency of acquiring and reselling gear A LOT (haha) but I always come back to Peavey. Always. I had amps 3x the price of my 3120 that I sold. Even used, Peavey amps are still, imho, really hard to beat in terms of value for money. It's a shame what the company became though because I would love them bring new great amps on the market.
@@bengirard1984 oh the 3120 is a great amp , rebranded XXX isn't is but with no street cred.... I did suggest that all the James Brown amps should be re released as a "flagship" brand, the JB Series because his name carries so much weight
@@Fergieguitar That would be a good idea actually! hehe James Brown is responsible for so many maps that people love (and not just with Peavey) :) On a side note, that's why I bought a 3120 because the XXX has always been ugly to me hahaha
Defenitely the Bugera. As far as I can hear there is more brightness. The lead chanel beats the Peavy by miles. But that is how I hear it. Nice duo by the way!👌
Thanks, I go back and forth, the Bugera is tighter, more modern, less "hairy" so it really does depend on style, but both are dam good for rock and metal..Bugera wins in how easy it is to get...and has a guarantee and yeh it's a lot brighter...I've mainly been using the Peavey Windsor lately, boosted with an SD 1, it's pure 80s heavy rock and less tight but sweet to play.
@@Fergieguitar I don't know if you knew, but if you disconnect the reverb tank, the reverb knob becomes like a presence :) I did it on the last Ultra Plus I had and it made a big difference because yes, as much as I love the amp, it is a bit inherently too dark for me stock.
@@bengirard1984 yup I knew that,it can make is scary bright too, I think I get away with it being dark because I do get to turn it LOUD and the V30 speakers are quite bright but yeh, it's a dark amp but if pushed, nothing a EQ in the fx loop wont fix
@@Fergieguitar 100%!
Really good comparison Fergie...I have that model Bugera and am looking for the Ultra plus...maybe a peavey jsx...
Cool, I love the Bugera but the Ultra Plus is another level and so much thump and a richness in the tone.
I think its great for a budget triple threat or jsx, or if you're owning your first tube amp, but yeah. I think you could fix the thin tone on it with a pre amp booster if anyone really just wants to stick with the 333xl
@@Fergieguitar
@@kmfdm5 i do tone shape the Bugera with an EQ pedal in the loop and an overdrive in the front, then it's amazing but I thought best to keep both amps totally dry for this. However, I'd not add any EQ to the Peavey.
Hello, thank you for the video, the Bugera amp is still alive, I bought the Bugera 333XL infiniun a few weeks ago and I returned it to Thomann the next day because the volume of the two distortion channels does not work and the clean channel could not even be heard, here I'm waiting for a response from the store and I don't know whether to accept a new Bugera or better get my money back and buy another head from another brand! greetings
That's very strange, it should be scary loud, hopefully you will get a response but I've had mine for 6 years with no issues at all and it's fantastic live, if you like the tones, I'd get another, if mine ever fails, i'll get another, I hope they sort it out for you.
@@Fergieguitar thank you
im on my SECOND peavey ultra 120. The xxl is ok.. BUT that peavey has the WOW FACTOR!!.. and is BAD ASS. NO I WONT SELL MY SECOND ONE!!! . i wont be stupid twice.
im a bugera fanboy, but the peavey ultra plus wins this
I still am, it's a great amp but yeh, there's a richness in the tone from the Peavey, BUT the dryer Bugera tone suits down tuned modern metal a bit more. Both are stock preamp tubes..I just hope Peavey get the love this amp deserves.its glorious
@@Fergieguitar you could always replace the power and preamp tubes in the Bugera, it is self biasing and will give you the same tones of the Peavey.
@@michaelkeudel8770 I think it might get me closer but the EQ is very different, the resonance control makes a big odds and at that volume, the power amp was not really a factor. PRE AMP would voice it differently but I'd be surprised if it got much closer.
@Fergieguitar there's a mod for a resonance control also for the Bugera. I have one, it's been awesome with my GT-100 and 79 Les Paul Standard.
@@michaelkeudel8770 I've seen that, i think the sort of the point of this video was more that you can get both amps for about the same money on the used market, compare the two , when starting to swap out 4 working power tubes adds, 120€ on the price, 4 pre amp tubes is another 60-80€ and if you'd to pay to have an amp modded, that adds a good bit too. Even on a new Bugera , to do those mods could put you well past a used JSX or a used 5150 and past a 6505+ . I love my Bugera, it's huge eq sweep lets it work well with just about any cab.Just now I'm loving the Peavey Windsor, different style but a great gigging amp, that would suit the Les Paul in a Marshall JCM800 way...but with a resonance for thud. SO much so, I'm trying to get another