Fire Hazard Amplifier?! | Bugera 333 Infinium 

We've all heard the horror stories: Bugera amps all go on fire and will burn down your house! Accurate analysis or over exaggerated nonsense? We're going to play some fire riffs and see how lit this amp really is... Get your own: Reverb - reverb.grsm.io/Bugera333 Thomann - www.thomann.de/gb/bugera_333xl_infinium.htm?offid=1&affid=367 Sweetwater - imp.i114863.net/x00B3 Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction 1:03 - Horror Stories 2:20 - Amplifier Overview 3:11 - Sounds 6:28 - Analysis 10:45 - Conclusion #bugera #infinium #fire More from CSGuitars: Gain access to exclusive content at: www.patreon.com/csguitars Join CSGuitars Discord - discord.gg/d7b6MY8 Buy CSGuitars Merchandise - www.csguitars.co.uk/store Website - www.csguitars.co.uk Contact - colin@csguitars.co.uk

"Throw some metal riffs at it, and see if we can light this thing up." *[Clean Tone]*

POV: You're 15, own a Marshall MG15 which you can only crank up to 2 before your parents start complaining about the noise but you just heard a few older mates talking about "tube amps". Naturally you use all your pocket money to buy this behemoth and end up selling it right away after you realise cabs are a thing you need for heads.

> Has a dinosaur metal project called Antorbital Fenestra > Has used the term "clade" to refer to different categories of effects pedals > Is wearing a T-shirt with what looks like a lot of different theropod skulls and bones I'm starting to think Colin secretly moonlights as a paleontologist

Regular-ass-I-saw-it-in-my-feed squad, represent!

that as blood runs black riff always puts a smile on my face

I had a Peavey 5150 as a teen I bought used in the late 90s. For 12 years I completely abused that amp tossing it around in and out of cars and never changed a tube once. Lol. It was very noisy but back then there was no yt and I didn't know anything about tube amps. Thinking back I'm still impressed by the durability of that amp.

That As Blood Runs Black riff was spicy !

i have been playing a bugera 333 without infinium for 13 years and it runs flawlessly!

I've got a TATA! How do pickups in an offset configuration (Precision Bass, Railhammer Humcutters, G&L Z pickups) work?

I guess you could say that they were stating it would cause an “ampli-fire”? Yeah I’ll show myself out.

I got my virtually unused 333XL Infinium as an absolute 2nd hand steal, and was really pleased with it's performance, especially bearing in mind the price. The original Bugera valves took a major crap before Christmas and I re-valved it with a full GT and Harma kit from Watford Valves and wow, what a difference! They have really broadened the sound out and it runs whisper quiet even on the lead channel. I was genuinely surprised how well put together my later version was inside and they're definitely worth a look if your on a budget and want to try a valve amp. (Change the valves out though if they haven't been done already!)

Thanks for setting the record straight, I own 3 Bugeras and their F%^$# Awesome...Thank you, Sir!!!

His videos always make my day brighter

i love how the production value of this channel just keeps climbing and climbing! You deserve WAY more views for your awesome content, Colin!

I’m currently using the 333XL Infinium and I’ve never had an issue with it. Even with the stock tubes I’ve always been able to get a good tone out of it. I have since upgraded the tubes, but this is my main head I use and every show I play, people are surprised with the sound quality I get out of it. I’m also a cheap bastard that doesn’t wanna spend more money, so I make due with what I have lol

Why I always have to be at band practice when Colin releases new video

You have come a long way my friend. And for that I have decided to suscribe to your channel. Keep the good work

Great video Colin, always great entertainment!

WOW a video straight from 2012

Thanks so much for clearing up the fire issue.

I love your content! I hope to see more and more videos!

Thanks for the demo. Yes, your presentation skills have greatly improved. Stay safe.

That Bugera sounds awesome. I’m not normally a super high gain guy, I do own a 5150iii and a MB Mark V but that Bugera really sounds damn amazing. But I gotta hand it to you, a lot of you sounds have been great lately. They were never really bad but the focus and definition in the last 6 months have been over the top. I remember at one point you were working on your improve ability. I don’t know if it’s that, or the way you are setting things up, but your sound has been amazing dude. Whatever it is, keep it up, it sounds phenomenal.

I have two "inexpensive" 15 watt tube combos. Swapped the tubes on both and the speaker on one, and they sound fantastic. Couldn't be happier with them, and I paid about what you would pay for a decent, similar solid state amp. Just goes to show, branding isn't everything.

Love the As Blood Runs Black riff, as well as the Bark at the Moon that came not long before. Metal AF.

You've come such a long way with your playing. I remember when you used to get people in to do that kind of shredding for you!

I have a Bugera 6262 with two only power tubes and it is a beast! when i was younger i only have played on the lead channel, but now i enjoy the clean channel because it has the cleanest clean that i heard never

Always love the education I get from your videos. BE HAIRD!

The only thing is here I was scrolling and I was going to keep going,I’d never heard of Bugera setting on fire until I saw the Thumbnail so I thought I’d watch?Great video but if I’d of kept scrolling I would of believed your Bugera set on fire 🔥

I had a 333XL from the very first run back in 2009. After a short time it stopped working. Turned out the wiring was put together using some very cheap and unsuitable wago style connectors that over heated and failed. Same happened with my 6262. A year later I got an artist endorsement from them and they sent me a V55HD. I opened it up and they’d clearly gone through it and used much better components. I still have it to this day and it still works.

I was actually wondering about this recently. Years ago when I started playing guitar, I was going to purchase this, mostly because of your videos, but I couldn't find one in my area, and ended up getting a first generation Peavey VK100, which served me well for a few years, until I just recently switched to Headrush.

I don’t know why you would be embarrassed of your older videos. I think it’s impressive that you were able to find the record function on the potato you were using! Huge improvements sir, well done.

TBF, it would catch fire quite easily if you filled it with straw and threw matches at it.

I had a bugera two for years it turned out to be super dependable and when I retuned it it got a lot better

Great job

Still badass. But your riffage is what lights it up. That Bark at the Moon snippet was killer! I went from a Line 6 Spider to my first "real" amp which was the Bugera V22 1x12 combo amp. I loved it. It sounded good, had all the features like effects loop and was affordable. Nothing wrong with that!

Its great you re-reviewed this amp and demonstrated that its got really viable sounds. I own one and this "catching fire" is just BS really! P.S That Fender is on my list and really wanted to know how it would sound through the 333xl 😁

Still love my 333XL. Three awesome channels. The clean is the hardest to dial in. The rest is so easy.

Sounds great!

The biggest fail point on the Gen 1 Bugeras was they had a very weak main board power connectors and they burnt out as they couldn't take the current load! Once they were removed and the wiring soldered directly to the circuit board, there were no more of these failures! I have a V55HD that had these issues along with the non heat sinked voltage regulator and it would jump channels @ random! My amp was heavily modified by the wonderful folks at Behringer Australasia, and made rock solid & reliable! MY amp IS the prototype V55Mk2, that was made before they revamped it with the Infinium valve management! A unique amp!

I love this channel so much

i do own a 333 XL Infinium and i've got it repaired cuz something was broken .. this was ... 5 years ago? since then this amp is a dream, never had any problems with it, it even survived multiple "drummer kills electrics while amp is still running" ( quit the band cuz this and some other things )

I used to have one of these as a combo amp bought new around 2013 or 14 and it, unfortunately, kicked the bucket after a bit over a year but was thankfully still under warranty. I did decide to trade it back to the store and bought an egnater rebel 20 mkii that I still love

Still using my first run 333XL from Feb 08'. Was gigging 3-4 times a month with it till COVID locked down my area. I've done a few reliability mods tho. Still got Bugera tubes in it. Haven'tt had any issues since the mods in 09'.

I had one of those for years! It was a fantastic amp for the money and never failed me. I sold it to another local musician who still gigs the amp today. (when we can gig) I bought a much nicer amp but I always loved that amp.

Damn, that As Blood Runs Black riff sounded great on that amp ! Cheers !

Love the vid :) I’m really interested in Budget tube amps atm, Can you review the bugera 1990 and 6262 and compare them to the JCM 900 and Peavy 5150? Or maybe review the harley benton tube 15 combo?🤔

just been looking at the XL version I may be tempted 😉

I had the 2x12 combo of this amp absolutely loved it, got every sound I was aiming for (from rock metal funk blues) using different guitars,pickups, pedals & adjusting th eq ,only slight issue was there was a slight delay in sound when using the foot switch changing from the clean channel to the drive. Kinda realising that I miss that amp should never of sold it.For all of those new to valve amp world this is a good place to start for the price & what you get. For the haters keep on hating something you've most likely never played.

I have no issues with Bugera. I'm just happy there's a market for affordable tube amps.

I have a 6262-212 AND I LOVE IT!!! Since 2009 and hasn't failed... Considering it's price it's a GREAT Amp!

My comment is a little late, but... I had a 333 combo, 1st generation, and it screamed. It had the faulty jumper off of the power board, easy fix, no issues. I like to buy, try, and sell amps, and it moved on. About three years later, I found a Tri-Rec head for $300. Got it, and it really is a Chinese Boogie. But, of course one day, I decide to fire it up, switched from standby to on and... Nothing. Dead silence. I took out the standby switch, re-wired it for always on and... Nothing. It has been sitting in my storage room, with its broken brethren ever since.

Don't go disliking that dude's videos! He was still improving and getting more experienced, he didn't have as much money invested in the equipment and so on! His videos paved the way years and years ago for guitar content on youtube. Humoristic but also educational. Some kid might even browse through that dude's channel and get inspired to try when they see how that dude improved from the first videos. Personally I remember when every teenager was raving about Peavey Valveking and then came the Bugeras. People were frowning at those, but gotta admit, they got many kids on the track. They also didn't suck tonewise. I saved for Laney VH100R myself and was happy about my choice, but gotta give credit to these amps. Especially for metal tones. And I suppose my amp became the cheapo amp a few years later as well when english pound plummeted and those amps cost 600e instead of 1300e in retail, so not much to be snobby about :) I think Bugeras and Valveking tried to hit the ever increasing audience of 5150/6505 that couldn't quite afford them (although today they're one of the cheapest good quality second hand full valve amp available). Funnily enough Peavey kinda started competing with itself.

Don't have a Bugera 333 but I do have a Peavey xxx (which is what the Bugera is cloned/modeled after) with JJ-EL34s and Tung sol preamp with a combo of 12ax7s, a 5751 in v2 and a 12at7 in the phase inverter. Its really tamed the gain while still remaining super brutal and aggressive. It's super brutal. I think the xxx is super underrated. I need to make a demo of it. Use a mesa v30 cab with any peavey and you're set.

Back in 2012 I was gigging with a Bugera 6260 120watt 212 combo. It was an older one that had the old blue power/standby jewels, and was one of the earlier Bugeras in their lineup. It caught fire on me one night during soundcheck at a gig where I did NOT have a backup. Turns out it had a factory defect that led to overheating issues, and It was easily repaired weeks later , but the gig in question wasn’t salvageable, unfortunately. I sold it after it was repaired and and I have been using the Laney Ironheart exclusively in the years since. No issues with my Laney

Love the solo face when you play lead

I still have my 333XL Bugera half stack. Played many shows with it. I love it and it never caught fire! \m/

Thanks to you, I found a 1000 Watt combo amp, Bugera 12 inch speaker on Thomann. ;)

Sounded pretty good and agree about the crunch channel. You could also look for a used peavey jsx. Pretty sure that’s what this amp is based off of and probably could save some money. I found a good deal on a jsx recently and picked it up it’s an awesome amp. Great video and stay safe

Could you perhaps do a video comparing the different aspects of manual and auto biasing?

awesome playing and tone i just bought the 120 combo version think its awesome, what is that v guitar its awesome looking

Sound god man... great vid man..

I have a Bugera V22 Infinium that I bought a couple of years ago. I don't really play a lot (Pick up my guitar after waking up, play a few riffs, move on with the day.) But, I'm really happy with how it sounds! After I got a tube screamer to put in front of it. It, it does Metal really well! Even though it is supposed to be a "Vintage" amp. Cleans are nice with the built-in reverb as well.

This sounds badass, but man, Your playing got f***ing amazing! 🤘

Should have brought out the good old CS-1. Go really old school CS guitars. Great vid as always Colin!

Possible TATA, Is it safe for speakers to play bass through a guitar amp?

sound great

Crunch channel on that Flying V @ 4:00 kick ass!!

Some As Blood Runs Black. That brings back the old days. Missed the pinch though lol

I have a Bugera Infinium G5 and I really like it. It does only have the one sound but that happen to be the one I wanted. Lots of mids though.

Colin, I remember those days! You have come a long way. I bought a used non-infinium 333, non-xl, after one came up for sale locally at a good price, and after watching your vid for a little hand holding. A few months ago, I flip it on, and dead silent, no glow in power tubes. Turns out to be the common problem of the cheap plastic connector melting and shorting. I fixed it with maybe the worst soldering job in the history of electric guitar amplifiers. Works totally fine now. Question for you though: I prefer the 6L6's, and almost all of the time I use the 333 exclusively on the clean channel as a pedal platform, as you know, getting the volume and gain over 1.5 (not o'clock, like 1.5 out of 10) on the gain channels will produce police helicopters in short order, and I'm way below the budget of attenuators. So, actually a couple questions: do you have valve recommendations to bend this Bugera into a clean Fender sound? I like the clean channel as is, but I'd like to make it even better if possible. And second: The class of preamp tubes that Bugera uses and suggests, I think, are the problem with the limited distortion sound range. I know A LOT of people would be interested in hearing this head retubed with something other than a C grade 12AX7, in V... whatever position it is that calls for the C. And same for the V position that calls for a B. I think using cleaner, higher quality valves in there, would allow for lower gain, break up type sounds, before going to full hoover (at 1.5 on the gain knob), and a better range of distortion sounds overall. And a bonus third question: How about techniques for quieting this amp. I've heard that you can remove your two outside power valves, and half/double your impedance (still don't understand impedance, after all these years)... but if your cab is at 16 ohms, switch the switch on the head to 8 ohms. I've heard this done, and it is a bit quieter, allowing you to reach into deeper gain at lower volume. But what about doing this in conjunction with quieter preamp valves, like 12AT7's, that are around 60-80% the gain of AX7's? I bet this monster could be tamed, and you could get breakup type overdrive out of this amp, as well as reach inter the deeper gain at more reasonable volumes. I think you could get a lot of content mileage out of answering these questions in video(s), as there have been a sh!t tun of 333's (of various configurations) sold over the last, what, 12 years, 14, I forget, and there is like only 10 videos, total, on youtube, and you made one and now a second, so there's 11! AND many of the valve sorcery principles learned on the 333 could apply to all the Peavey heads these are clones of, and even more generally to valve heads of this sort of topology, of which there are millions (so to speak). So, come on man, DO IT! I really can't find this info. I'm sure you could pull some sponsorship for some tubes to test out. You have the resources, the knowledge, the need for content! DO IT!

Proud owner of a Bugera 333 Infinium, best bang for the buck for me. With a EQ pedal you can really shape the sound out of it! Crank it loud!!!

I have a G20 Infinium head. Sounds good with the cleans and takes pedals nicely. $160USD as a NAAM demo from one of the big retailers. Bought it to play around with a stereo amp setup. Still have no regrets.

"This is fine" So often, this just what I'm looking for out of a review. Pros, cons, sure sure, but does it work and will it catch fire? 😉​​

What is that black and gold flying v you are using? I love it!

Hello Colin, I have you to thank for turning me on to the Bugera 333. I watched you play it on one of your videos about four years ago and I was like if this Metal dude has one then it must be decent and it sounds killer too. I still have it and have never had any problems with it other then normal tube replacement. I love the tone it produces. I’ve heard that it’s modeled after the Peavey JSX. Mine is the 333XL version though and I always keep the XL button depressed. I think the XL stands for ballz.

Crunch channel with a boost in the front and the Bugera is a monster amp. Pop and EQ in the loop and it's extra monstery!

Is there a more metal thing than ripping a wicked solo and then having your amp catch on fire from it?

I can’t wait to loop in my MT2 😬

This is fine is good. I had a couple of years of use from the 6262 combo and my bandmate had the head. But his channel selector started messing up, randomly changing between clean and distortion. We thought it might be the foot switch, but even without that the channels kept changing.. His was a bit older than mine but after the two years my combo started having exactly the same problem. I understand with cheaper stuff comes cheaper parts but man that was a pisser. I can't bring myself to trust them again after that. But as for sound, it really did the job. Just make sure you know someone who can take care of those issues. Thanks for the video!

thank you so much for your entertainment and music over the years. I'd like to request a how to from you on installing a string butler. I got one of them following your recommendation in your series of midifying the gibson gothic flying V. I enjoy your camera presence so more videos on instrument care/modification would be greatly appreciated thank you Colin. Jakob

The Bugera sounds way better than I remember from your old videos! Would you attribute it to more experience with the knobs, a different cabinet or speakers you've paired with the amp or maybe both?

I did 2 US tours with the Bugera 333xl (Not the Infinium) and had NO problems. This thing worked great, I was in a horror-metal band and it kicked baw-bags in every state. My tone was solid, it got thrown in the back of a trailer every night and was good to go next town. Would not hesitate to buy again or to recommend. Now - to be fair - as it sits today the tubes/valves are shot - I cannot afford to replace at the mo', but that's not the amps fault - my Mesa Boogie Mk IV is in the same place. I am in a more experimental/classic tone band as we speak but if (when) I get into another metal project, until I can afford the 3G priced amps, a Bugera will be my go to. Lets face it, you can have 4 stacked for the price of an ENGL and tip the bartender an amp if you can't pay the bar tab. And NO - it NEVER caught fire, not even once.

I have this amp, the trirec and the g20. All imfinium. My fav is the trirec but I do use the 333xl together with the trirec (they sounds great together)

Damn does that flying V look awesome... 🤤

I've had the 333 combo for quite a while, I changed the valves to Groove Tube 6L6s sounds a lot more smooth and rounded than the originals. Never had any problem with the amp.

Sounds fine by me. Didn't know about this thing could catch fire when the valves start to worn out. My first valve amp is a Peavy VK100 valve king. What do you think about this amp? Thanks for this video, i always was curious about cheap Bugera amps.

Im looking at one of these, and I have a Boss TAE as well. So long as Im using a 100w speaker (through the TAE) im good as far as not having to worry about the speaker, right? I know I could line it out to my FRFR and a cab response but I occasionnally get to actuall turn my amps on (family in house LOL) and I want to ensure I don't damage my lower wattage (60 and 30) if I want to switch flavors of real speakers. Thoughts? I love that riff at 4:10 ish, too. Total 80s metal.

Is there any recommended ambs you think every guitarist should have for beginners and bro's?

I have a B52 AT-100, and it sounds like an absolute monster with incredible range. Deep, warm fender clean, gritty plexi sounds, HUGE mesa dual rect sounds... But jesus is it unstable. Every time you turn it on it sounds a little different. I'm guessing it has some parts wondering out of spec and would be an easy fix, but sure wouldn't be easy to find what's wrong. Rumor has it, Bruce Egnater designed the thing. The sound sure seems that way. $200 on craigslist.

I have the pre-Infinium 333XL it had the burnt Molex problem most had. Since I sorted that problem it has been great. The only other thing that went south on was the footswitch. The old amps use a mini-din connector rather than midi I/O like the newer one's ship with. Total ballache!!

Can you do a review and share your thoughts on the Orange CR120?

The 333xl was my first valve amp as well. It was a good amp for the price

honestly a friend of mine bought this exact amp, very experienced gigging artist, returned it within 5 months because he still had reliability issues. the problem has always been reliability and you really need to show me sales versus returns / repairs numbers before I'll believe otherwise. Cause dude these things sound better than some amps 5 times the money.

Non music related question here. What watch are you wearing? It looks sleek and stylish and I dig it. 😎

My TATA: What is feedback on guitar?

Heard that the Bugera 333 is meant to be like the Peavey JSX and does a fairly a good job of accomplishing a tone similar to the high gain features of that amp. Meanwhile, the XL is often compared to the XXX. The 6262 is also quite decent and is meant to be aiming for a 6505+ tone. All of them seem excellent for high gain stuff, even if a bit constricted in their range/versatility.

Well said, i have like ~$350 tube amp from ibanez of all things and it's absolutely fine for me. A bit harsh on the highs, not much headroom (it's 15w), and between aleged crunch and lead a smooth drive is nowhere to be found but still is perfectly fine for my practice and beginner recording needs

I have the little 5 watt infinium in my living room running through a 12" mesa cab for when the baby is sleeping upstairs. Not going to say it is flexible, but there are a few decent sounds in there. Especially if all you want are mellow clean tones.