Bugera 1990 vs Marshall JCM 900 

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Finally a valid review. No unnecessary speech , no tedious digression on technical specifications , no witry gag , no personal opinion. Only a well organized comparison between the two amplifiers . anyway, the Marshall always very nice but also the BUGERA not despicable .

I think they both sounded very similiar, Actually - if pressed, I'd say the bugera has a little bit more of a pleasing lower - mid punch

Bought this Bugera and played with it for the first time yesterday. It sounds fantastic. If you like 70s and 80s hard rock/heavy metal, this amp is especially made for you.

Just a note about some of the comments referring to earlier production Bugera amps popping and fizzing and shorting out. Sometimes even catching fire. Bugera for several years used an incorrect design transformer connector. They have since publicly acknowledged this. Instead of using a typical heavy duty "male to female" type of connector where the female coupler tightly and securely clasps the male prong, they instead chose a one sided friction type connector. In the friction type a spring loaded wire lays against the male prong and has to transfer tremendous voltage thru just one small contact spot. The connectors naturally would heat up quickly and either short out or sometimes even catch fire to the plastic connector housing. In all cases no real damage was done to the circuits. The fix would be to cut off the female connector end and direct solder the wires to the corresponding male connector. Then apply heat shrink tubing over each repaired connection. I have four pre-Infinium Bugeras and have performed the above repairs to both transformers wiring harnesses in each one. Never have a problem with them. As for the electronics.....resistors, capacitors...etc, Bugera only uses mil-spec items. They come from the same production as Chinas military parts for their own equipment come from. Someone in a review once complained that the pc boards used for the circuitry was very thin and cheap looking. It is the same six ply board that is used on the most expensive computer motherboards. This is progress applied to an amplifier....not cheap. If you have an older Bugera and it ever does start smoking on you, now you know what to do. This design flaw has been engineered out of the newer Infinium models and they enjoy an exceptional reputation. Bugera like any upstart company has had its quality control issues but would now seem to be on track.

I've done this comparison IRL and was amazed how great the bugera actually is

I swear when people see that cool old school marshall look on their head, it just automatically sounds better than something else to them. Placebo is real with this sort of stuff. Guitar players are so set in their ways.

I whish all the review/comparison videos were this well made. way to go man, great playing, no bullshit, head to head comparison. Congrats

There simply is no way I would be able to tell the difference in a mix or even at all. Excellent demo and nice playing.

A straighforward, yet thorough video showcasing everything we need in an amp. I love it. Give this man a Dr. Pepper

Best video i've seen on the comparison. One of the better videos for both amps separately as well. Good job Victor

I've read the comments that the Bugera is muddier than the Marshall. I wouldn't even say muddier, it's just different because it's a different amp. For $2000 less, I will take the Bugera.

I love changing people's opinions about Bugera when I turn mine up

The Marshall SL-X models have an issue with the b3 rectifier getting overheated and the solder melts causing it to lose contact..They will just fade out in volume and letting it cool off will give you another half hour or so of play time until it does it again ..It does that because the hot solder gets air in it and looses contact and the fading out is when it's lost all contact and the voltage is dissipating,,letting it cool by turning it off expands the solder as it cools..Eventually it will not make contact anymore and the amp won't work..Replace the b3 rectifier with one that has a higher microfarad ( mfd ) rating and it won't get hot enough to melt the solder.. By all means don't move the sl-x right after you turn it off if it's still got the original b3 rectifier,any bump or jolt can easily knock it loose if the solder is still too hot

Finally! A 1990 demo where someone knows that mids are needed!

In my opinion more gain and bass on Bugera. Bugera sounds better!

What a great demo really !!.........Thanks for posting !

FINALLY someone does a amp comparison and plays the exact same song, riffs on both amps so you can actually hear the difference. most people will play one tune a amp A then totally change it up on amp B. THANK YOU!!

bugera sounds like the jcm900 and a 5150 had a baby

Great video pal!!! Than you very much! I can listen that Bugera 1990 is a little bit sharper on distortions and cleans. By "sharper" I mean it has more treble. However if all knobs are at the middle, there is a good chance that the small difference could be compensated. Muito obrigado

Great video. I have a Brugera 1960 plexi and with a reactive load attenuator, it’s so lively, responsive and fluid.

Very cool review! Congratulation!

Sounds great!

NIIIIICE! great vid budd

I had the pleasure of owning the Bugera 1990. I have always been a lover of the Marshall tone, but not the Marshall pricetag, which is why I bought the Bugera 1990... wow, was I happy!! I can say from personal experience that it is a quality-built piece of gear with solid construction and fantastic tone. I had ZERO problems with the amp. **The only reason I don't own it anymore is because I moved cross-country from a house out in the country to a city apartment, so such a big amp was out of the question.

Thanks for the great great demo, Bugera has a sweeter clean as most amps do, Marshall is meaner at full gain as most Marshalls are.

Good to know they sound similar

Makes me glad that I just ordered a Bugera BVV3000. I'd LOVE to see an AB vs an SVT...

now that is the way to do a demo!

Clearly the Bugera is the better sounding amp of the two. Thanks for posting this.

I had a 900 sounds great but you have to crank it, the Bugera sounds like a modded 800/ Plexi here like the 900 should sound like. Thanks for the Demo!

the bugera sounds a little better but real real close...amazing...GREAT DEMO BUDDY

I love my Bugera!!

Great video. Really helpful.

Both sound killer. I love my vs100 but am.considering getting a 1990 down the line

Extremely similar amps! Gotta say though, the slightly deeper low mid in the bugera felt better to me! Very slight though!

Very close. Seems on the high gain setting the bugera was fuller. I’m impressed.

honestly the 1990 sounds more punchy than jcm 900 IMHO

got the infinium series ... no problems yet ... had it 6 months

Good demo. On high end studio monitors I can pick up that the Marshall has more richness and complexity in its tone but they are generally close. On the mid gain part the Marshall sounds like it lacks low end but that could just be the tone circuit biased differently than the Bugera. If money is no object it's gotta be the Marshall.

Hola Victor. Muy bueno todo esto. Consulta... que auriculares estas usando??

Nice demo! I was wondering is the 900 the 100w or 50w version? Also which power setting do you have the 1990 set to?

i liked the Marshall way more, the Bugera wasn't bad though.

Stop the BS... These amps sound just about the same. I have no idea why some people have the "my epiphone (is better than any gibson" syndrome for the bugera, and i don't know why people are treating the marshall like it cannot be touched. These sound the same or at least really similar. Ok?

Hi I have the 333xl infinium 2x12 with a 6262 infinium 2x12 stacked on top of that. I am considering getting a 2x12 and this head to stack on top of both of those. Do you think it is worth it or do you think they don't offer enough different sounds to warrant getting another? Thanks

The biggest difference to me was in the medium gain section. The Bugera sounds a little more high gain. But the general tone is so close it's awesome considering the price difference. I love the sound of most Bugeras once the tubes are swapped. I put KT77s and a mixture of Tung Sols, JJs and Rubys in a 333 and I'd put it up against just about anything.

Checked this out to see if I should consider the used 1990 at a local music store, or a used Marshall JCM 900 4100 DR from a random dude for about double the price. I'm almost convinced to go with the 1990. But somewhere down the road, even if I have a functioning clone like a 1990, I'll just have to get a real Marshall. Yep, just because it's a fricking Marshall. Thanks for sharing this, nicely executed. Cheers.

love your playing very melodic medevil trance

People who say theres a big difference its propably in their own head. Headphones or studio monitors for listening to this they sound very very similar. Here in Finland JCM 900s are really affordable on used market (of cource theyre not manifactured anymore and not as legendary as JCM 800s) so Id propably buy a Marshall just for the logo and looks maybe reliability but if there was no JCM 900 on sale the Bugera does the job very well. Absolutely nothing wrong with its sound.

Both are nice amps. Even putting two Marshalls, especially older ones (taking into account amp chassis, transformers, and valve condition), next to each other would likely yield differences in this sort of way. One increment, or less, in tone or gain control could change the character. It's why major acts have full time techs. Valves are a balancing act!

great demo, if you can't hear the difference why pay the difference? I got my Bugera 55watt head thru a marshall 1960BHW cab, sounds incredible, the cab makes more of a difference than the head into

I know it is an old video but the JCM gets my vote.

Like a fool, I sold my JCM900 (because I had to turn it up to FIVE to get a two level volume from my Musicman). But I have since purchased a Bugera 6262 and it's a great replacement.

Excelente vídeo Victor, gostaria de saber se esse é o JCM 900 4100 com tubos 5881 (6l6)?

¡Menudo clon¡ No se han cortado con la imagen.

It's funny I use to work @ G C & after closing we would fuck around & compare Amps.And I was Always blown away how the Bugera 1990 sounded so damn good @ literally like half the price.I would say in this demo since were using the same cab-I like the Bugera just a lil more...

Hello!This is a great video proffesionally recorded(not like other videos about that amp comparison).You did a great job!Just one question.At bedroom volume levels (triode mode),how is the bugera 1990 lead channel sounds?Does the volume need to be above 3 in order to be heard good (and not fuzzy)?Thank you in advance for your time,i would be grateful to hear your reply!

It is hilarious how nice that Bugera sounds for so much less money. While it may not beat the 900 it most definitely comes very close, and sounds fantastic in its own right.

How do you adjust the reverb on the bugera? Can it be changed internaly?

It's not always the amp it's got alot to do with know how and setup for what your playing but personally I'm a marshall fan I just love that marshall sound always have but that's just me

They sound really similar. Is it just me or does the guitarist go slightly sharp when he palm mutes?

With the distorted bugera, it seemed like there was more "phasing" between the strings? binaural semi-tones from the guitar being slightly out of tune. I did not perceive these with the Marshall.

They were both pretty similar, but I'd definitely go with the Bugera just because of what you're getting for the price.

Neither one sounds bad but the Marshall has better string definition.

how has the reliability been with the Bugera?

The short little lead parts sounded ice picky on both amps , can that be dialed out ?

what pickups are you using?

just a quick question for any marshall fans. I bought a 99 jcm 900 all stock, and I LOVE it! But I tried a jcm 900 re-issue and didnt care for it much at all, anyone have a similar experience?

a demo with good riffs :)

Honestly, its hard to hear the difference on RU-vid because it is all turned into digital information anyway. The real difference is always how it feels, responds to your playing and how durable it is. If you stay at home and never bring your amp to gigs, jam spaces, transport in the back of vans, etc. I would say any amp is ok as long as it feels and responds wells to your picking. If I was a serious musician or even part-time cover band jammer, I would go with the Marshall.

I'm a Marshall guy and thought the Bugera sounded good on the clean and medium gain settings. To my ears the Marshall had more harmonic overtones when gain was dimed. Color me impressed with the Bugera.

Identical!

i have bugera trirec infinium and i am not happy wy my hi or mid gain tones. clean channel with about 6 flavors of pedLs and shes great!

The Marshall just sounds a hair more dynamic than the Bugera, but the difference is so slight that it would be impossible for a blindfolded test to tell which one is which, and I'd imagine that a tube swap with the right tubes would actually make Bugera sound even slightly better than the Marshall.

Wow, it is incredible how similar they sound, although I can feel a touch of higher gain on the Bugera. Do you know if it was intended to be a clone of the Marshall JCM 900?

Bugera sounded great !

Can you get good "thump" from the 1990?

the jcm 900 kicks ass for metal once u get it really damn loud through a 4 12 and put a boost on it

Gotta pick the Marshall here... The Bugera doesn't sound bad, don't get me wrong, in fact, it sound quite a bit like the Marshall, but I'm detecting a bit of muddiness on the higher gain settings on the Bugera. Also, how loud did you have these amps? Hard to tell through a youtube video, but it doesn't sound like you're pushing the amps all that hard. I may have to compare them side by side myself.. I have a 900 MkIII (which I picked up for about half of what it's worth, $350usd in really minty condition), and I could probably find the Bugera for peanuts.

i liked the bugera more it had a little more rumble in the bass, i think i'm going to have to pick one of them up sooner rather than later

Was this with stock tubes in both?

bugera sounds slightly darker and more balanced in tonal range than the marshall. I heard that bugera make garbage amplifiers. nice sound for the price. I like vintage marshall amps up to the jcm800. after that I don't care for them.

There's a slight difference, could just be settings on the amps, but that's freaky how close they are.

Victor, beleza? Vale a pena mesmo um Bugera? Pelo timbre, é algo pra pensar, mas qual a sua opnião?

The cleans are nearly identical, but Bugera cranks on gain. I've got a 6260 head and my lead gain is barely over 2 or 3. Plus my Mesa tubes, that thing rips

Genial!!!! Muy buena comparación....pero Marshall es un Marshall....aunque el Burgera esta bastante bien tambien...saludos desde Mendoza/ Argentina

I never liked the JCM900... but here i prefer the Bugera... it has more clarity...

There's more tube compression with the Bugera when cranked compare to the mostly-despised JCM900's... I thought Bugera sounded good for lead... As far as road-worthy, the JCM900 is more robustly built....

Bugera seems to have a little more gain, but very similar. If I were going to buy one of those two, it would be the Bugera.

A couple of decent "paint peelers" here ...I'm a 900 owner so I am biased to the marshall but man, the Bugera was no slouch either. Endless tinnitus abounds here LOL

Marshall has so fucking awesome clean tone

The clean sounds are mostly the same but the Bugera sounds a bit more open almost like it has a slight reverb. The Bugera sounds more ballsy than the Marshall at mid gain but a bit muddier at max gain..which is probably ok since it sounds gainer as well which might be preferable for soloing and you can always back off the gain...hate to say it but I think the Bugera wins this one based on my sound preference...now I'd like to see how many more repairs its had over the years compared to that Marshall ;)

They sound pretty much the same to me. The Bugera is a very good copy it worth the price.

that first riff is really nice. almost like midwest emo with a bluegrass flavor. to me the distorted jcm900 sounds rubbish without verb, but i guess it's perfect for that palm muted stuff.

Marshall really give real punch even on clean channel..

Like a Peavey VTM60 compared to a Marshall JCM800 2204 ... very similar and will sound accordingly to what guitar and who plays it.

Hey, love your playing, but I think in future videos you should switched back and forth between amps after 1 lick or phrase every 6 seconds or so with no pause. Some reviewers are doing this and I find it a lot more helpful!! Still liked your Video though😊

The Bugera sounds smoother and warmer to me at full gain. At medium gain I really don't hear a difference. I'm not saying one's better than the other, they are very close, and tone is subjective. I'm just saying this is the difference to my ear.

Bugera amps are probably a great amp, But when a guy recently offered to trade my amp for his Bugera, I find that the Parent company is Behringer and my amp doctor does not work on Behringer products. and They are made in China, meaning Parts are about to become impossible to find. Now, a couple of years ago some friends decided to put a band together that didn't work out. They practiced upstairs on the second floor, so I bought a lighter Peavey VK 112 for Practice. Since then, I have tried selling it, a 50 watt tube amp.....made in China for $225 and I've received no response for the amp. I see the 100 watt VK Heads for under $250, so resale is important because it speaks to value and repair is also important. So I own a Laney VC 50 212 combo, a Laney GH50L and Laney 412 cabinet and a Marshall JCM 900 MkII 2500 and a 412 Fender bottom as well as the Peavey VK 112 door stop.

The Bugera has some mud going on in the gain, some call a lack of clarity "tone"... But, shit tubes will do that. As a guy who solidly lives and breathes the JCM900 Dual Volume sound, I will say that some tubes and you're there, and you aren't far with the stock glass. However, JCM900s can be had all day long for ~650. Used DSL100 even less. YMMV, do like the 1960 at the same price, as no cheap four holer options really exist besides it.