Bugera T5 Infinium 5-watt Class-A Tube Head Reviews

I bought this amp a few weeks ago and I'm using it with an old Crate CR2 amp cabinet that has a 12 inch 4 ohm Speaker. It's sounds great for clean or crunchy overdrive tones. I can promise you this thing gets pretty loud fully dimed out on all attenuator settings for use at my house. Even the .1 watt mode can be loud enough and I like loud music. Overall it's a good amp for home use if you live in a house. If you live in an apartment your neighbors won't be happy but I am using a 12 inch speaker. Anyway just my thoughts on this amp. Great value for the money.

Iam impressed with the tonal quality,running through a 16 ohm vintage 30 gerrnback/and a Tc eletronics dual wreck peddal,IT ALMOST sounds like a dual wreck It CHUGS! Yesterday I installed my red label RCA nos 12ax7-el84 Wow it is a baby monster.I give a 5 star rating,a lot of bang for a buck.Highly recommend this amp! I wish I had axcess to this 40 years ago! Now that Iam 70 years young I appreciate the service of the Sweetwater staff they putup with me,thanks SW.

The Bugera T5 arrived from Sweetwater today in perfect condition, packing was over the top, triple boxed. The amp does all a much more expensive amp does at half the price. I saw one review that claimed theres had a bad hum but that can be caused by several other things in the house. They should have sent it back as Sweetwater has an excellent return policy, one of the best. Mine is dead quite, no gremlins. I highly recommend this amp.

The key to getting great tone out of it is to put medium gain tubes in it right away. It only takes two tubes and because of that you will find a big difference in tone when you change them. I put jj tubes in it the same day I got it and it makes a huge difference. Now it's a great pedal platform. Also if you pair it with a high db sensitive 12" low Watt high quality speaker you will have some of the best sound possible for the price. Put your pedals in front of it and you might not be able to put your guitar down and I'm not joking.

I know what you're thinking. This is a cheap amp. Not a "real" name brand. We've all read snobby people opinions about Bugera. But the truth is this little thing is amazing. For the price you can't find anything that even comes close. It feels like a rock solid piece of equipment in my hand. It can easily run bigger cabs but I run it into my little orange 1x8 cab. I got this to not annoy my wife while she's sleeping. At first I thought it was a little muddy but I hooked up my earthquaker plumes and it opened up a whole new sound. I use the pedal as a treble boost and it sounds fantastic. It's not a dirty sounding or high gain amp at all. Mostly clean which is cool because it gives me the chance to make my own sound without being committed right off the bat. Honestly just give it a chance. It's a lot louder than I thought it would be. Exceeded my expectations 10 fold.

Yes, it's loud enough to play along a drummer. Even though the reverb is digital it sound great. It's high gaun is more of a broken fuzz vs distortion. The only questionable thing is on the phat setting has a built in noise gate that isn't very clean. But will not notice it when your playing with a bassist and drummer. Well worth the price.

When my Marshall DSL-40C, or my VOX Pathfinder 10 fails to suit my ear, as they often can, I plug in the Bugera T5 Infinium and run it into an 8-Ohm dual-speaker cab, and I'm rockin', back in the super cradle.

Get one! IMO, it's the cheapest way to get the sound you want from a tube amp.

Note of caution: I tried the Bugera V22... 'was disappointing. Stick with the T5 for practice, and/or microphoning!

For enhanced sound from tube and transformer, rectifier... see Dr. Z!

'Amicably, Alan

Unbelievable that you can get such a quality product at this price!
I have seen some people complain that there's no foot pedal for the phat button, but at this price, you can hire a guy to mod it, and still have saved a buck. It even has the look and feel of an old-school, high quality product. They did not cut corners.
Sweetwater has the best customer service and sales support on the planet. Other companies should take lessons from them! Why shop anywhere else? Thanks to Alan Carter and his team!

Best place to start when jumping into the world of tube amps. Giving it a full 5 Star rating based on all you get at this price-point. Reverb is a plus, adds the needed spice to a clean sound. Bugera loaded in a really good sounding reverb,too. A genuine surprise. Takes pedals like a champ. Upgrade the tubes for about 75 spending green and the amp shines, considering that price-point factor again. Mine is well made and a solid little piece of kit. Playing it through our studio amp cabinets--Celestion 10", a 2-12" w/Celestions, and a vintage Electro-Harmonix 4-10" cab --shows just how nuanced this little amp can get. PLENTY of value and tube tone for the intro/beginner, plus satisfying enough for gigging classic rock/blues/jazz guitarists with small pedal board set-ups. Add a good metal pedal and it'll do monster heavy metal,too. A fun to play bargain amp that's well worth the investment.

Plain and simple, exactly as it should be. I was very surprised by the quality reverb in this little tonemeister, I actually prefer it over my Marshall DSL 1 watt head's onboard unit. The only con is the absence of an effects loop but since it takes pedals so well all is good. The stock tubes sound pretty darn sweet,totally amazes me that an amp can sound this good at such a low price-point, right out of the box!. The PHAT switch helps find the sweetspot between amp and guitar, works especially well with good humbuckers. It would be nice to have a channel footswitch to activate that awesome PHAT Mojo, but again, this little amp takes pedals so well, all is great. Quiet and clean headroom, one of the best sounding single channel amps of all time, price-wise. I will probably purchase another one, a great way to stereoize your rig on the cheap. 'Cept there's nothing cheap about the amp Sweetwater delivered to me, the T5 is one cool looking amp... plus the components are quality kit. Be smart-if you want a great way to enter the world of tube amps, this is the way to go. You get three power/wattage choices, a super good reverb, sturdy metal enclosure that looks Way Cool, Junior!, and it provides genuine tube mojo... all for 150 gitas? Thank you, sir...may I have another!

I own the T50 already which I thinks is a very smart and well laid out head. It's a beautiful thing to look at and even though you will never get out of one amp everything you maybe looking for, it comes close to perfect for me. Bugera has come a long way. I preface this review with the fact I am in my late sixties and I think I own about every amp that I could not afford as a kid. Kind of like you had your best memories on a Honda 50 and you own a Harley now. This little T5 is like that. Its great to look at has a broad spectrum of sound with a great reverb and about the size of a "cheap European Toaster" Great for having on your desk when you are learning or writing new material. I have it hooked up to a couple of wall mounted speakers and it's really cool. I think that Bugera also has the room to fill this model with a 15 watt head and a 22 watt with some additional features that would spur that part of the market. The Guys at Sweet Water are great. Everything they do in customer service comes back to them. Business here always at Sweetwater. For the price of a pedal or some other worthless junk you may buy on a whim, you will really enjoy this amp in my humble opinion.

It's perfect for my use. Playing at nursing homes, this little amp has enough power to fill the activity room. Reverb adds depth to my guitar and I could dial in enough warmth or grit when needed. It's paired with a 1x8 speaker cabinet. All my gear fits on a single hand truck and one trip is all that's needed to set up. It is a great little amp.

Had my amp go on the fritz, and being on a tight budget, I needed to grab something as affordable as I could. I searched around and found this little 5 watt, all tube Bugera. This little dude is the real deal! I mainly play at my church and the occasional small venue gig and always mic my amp so the 5 watts is perfect. I run it through an Orange 1x12 cab and it rocks! The cleans are great and it works well with my overdrives and other effects. I believe it will work for almost any style of music. I really have nothing negative to say about the T5 and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for good tube tone at an affordable price or just needing to downsize their rig.

I'm just a hobbyist player, been messing with these git-fiddles for awhile, always in the search of that "tone/ sound" like most of us, believe I finally found it.
Really wanted something I could play at lower a volume & still have a decent sound, the T-5 does just that & more, couldn't be more pleased, actually down right ecstatic, the significant other is a happy camper also, big score there.
I built a 2 x 10 cab, had one Eminence Rajun Cajun, bought the other from Sweetwater of course. The set up works equally fine with my LP Jr w/the P90, my '83 Strat & even my Recording King 12 fret acoustic using any of the wattage settings & this amp will get "loud" if requested.
I have to especially thank Andrew at Sweetwater for his expertise & patience, always a pleasure talking with him & he always checks up on me later to make sure all is good, super guy.
Thank you Bugera for a super little amp head, really nice job!

Welll skeptical about buying it I still pull the trigger on this one. When it arrived I was blown away by how it sounds. Great cleans, good headroom. And when fat switch is on, wow!!! This one is a keeper. I didn't try it with a band but this little one is loud. Used a 1x12 than tried a 1x8 cab, still sounded good. Great service from sweetwater as always. I would defenetly encourage friends to buy one.

I bought 2 and used them as mono blocks with original Nos Genelex el84's for a stereo. I have thousands in stereo tube amps. These are super sounding amps. They sound as good as any of my thousand dollar Stereo amps. Running a long black plate Rca 12ax7 in each of them. Super amp and they will make my Nos Genelex last 10 times longer.

I love this little head. I bought it because I wanted to get tube tone in a small package (and affordable price) so I could practice at home without upsetting everyone around me haha. My other amp is a Super Reverb, so I needed something smaller. This amp has met my needs so far. At home a play through a small orange 1x8 cab. Perfect for practice and gets pretty loud when cranked. However, plug into a larger cabinet and YEAH BUDDY. This amp does it.

I took it to a rehearsal and plugged into a cabinet that I think had 4x8?!?! Never seen one in the 15 years I've been playing but none the less it sounded good! Loud enough to be heard over the drummer, however this was a reggae band lol BUT it was loud enough with clean headroom, so if you plug it into a 4x12 and turn it up all the way, I think you would be heard. Not as loud as we as guitarist would like perhaps but from an engineer standpoint you'd sit comfortably in the mix.

Long story short- great amp. Nice cleans, nice when cranked, good sounding reverb, and looks awesome! It's lovely to have for practice and you can use it for rehearsal/gigs with the proper cabinet/mic setup.

Sweetwater - Brilliant customer service and provide me with this outstanding little amp for just under $200. If you have read the reviews on the V5 and the other review on this T5 you've got a really good frame of reference the amp. I am running through two 12's and the tones are awesome. I get the Tele cleans and the Les Paul crunch, and even nice jazz and blues - did I say awesome. There is actually a great reverb included (hard to find on these small amps). Fun, fun, fun. I do really like what comes through head phones as well. Bugera didn't even find it necessary to hide the circuity in epoxy.

This amp is phenomenal! It gives you amazing cleans, somewhere between Vox and Fender style cleans which I kind of dig. It gets decently loud, not loud enough for a drummer but loud enough to annoy roommates. The phat switch is the best. It seems to bypass the tone controls, and it's much louder! The tone controls sound fine, but with the way I run my stuff I just keep the phat switch on all the time.

One thing that might be disappointing to some people is how much headroom this amp has. For a little 5w amp, I can't believe it has this much headroom! I love it! I run my pedalboard into it, and I can get loud enough to enjoy it before it starts breaking up! Which I've always had trouble with when it comes to low-watt tube amps. People who rely solely on their amp for their dirt might be disappointed, but I have no idea. I run five dirt pedals with at least two on all the time. So, I don't need amp dirt to keep me going. One thing I will say is that it's almost impossible to get that super-saturated, blown out tube sound with this. I've cranked everything on it; and yeah, it gets a little dirty but you're not going to playing any stoner metal with this on its own. I might change out the tubes and see how that changes things.

The reverb sounds really good too! It's a lot more spacious than I'd expect, it's not an emulation of spring reverb at all. But if it's an emulation anyway, why stick with an emulation of spring anyway? I'd say this sounds like a really deep hallway, and I really like it.

The headphone out's pretty nice. It's very articulate, but really sounds a lot more like a direct output. I mean, I don't really sense any cab emulation when I use it. As much as you can "sense" something like that.

If you want something to get you some sweet-sounding tube tone at studio/bedroom volumes this'll get you there and it'll sound great!

This little amp is the goods, never mind Orange or the rest
you could improve it with a hotter pre amp tube but why bother?
it has it's own character.

Great practice amp. Sounds warm and responsive to your playing. Pedals sound great with this amp.

This is a great amp for the cost. Selected power and headphone out make it perfect for home practice or small jam sessions. I knocked off a half star because the tubes could be better, but upgrade to some JJ tubes and you're still spending a small price for a great amp.

Solid 4.5 stars- May be the best amplification buy out there. Cant comment on the longevity yet, but seems solid-
Excellent tone crunch/breakup. The headphone output jack is a huge plus for this size of head- the family is less annoyed with the repetitive practice lines.
Not thrilled with the "phat" switch- really like the clean, has enough breakup for me- with pedals is outstanding, particularly the boss blues diver.
Note the "at least 4 ohm" output- have ran it through an 8" celestion (8-15W) cab with very good results though power at peak was somewhat less than expected (might be the cab- am in the process of building a 2x8 cab). Loud enough for home/small stuff- maybe over non-exuberant drummers.

Very solid build. The Reverb sounds good though a small speaker but when run directly into a PA I hear a grainy sound as the Reverb fades out. I paired it with a small speaker and it had a passable sound but I think that is from the speaker not being good quality but run straight into the PA it had a nice tube tone. It has an adjustable power output so it can be turned down to run straight into the board. The five watts they rate it as is at four ohms so you will not get that in a standard eight ohm speaker.
You can overdrive it with the gain turned up. I don"t think it"s a great overdrive tone but it may be good for hard rock. I am looking for direct recording or live use with running it directly into the mixer. I think it is a great buy for the price.

I started playing live in 1981 and had to drive halfway across Texas just to get a decent amp. Even then, the price was higher than a 2018 T5 Bugera,so....there's some positive in being a dinosaur! This amp sounds delightful straight out of the box(delivered to our doorstep), very glad we purchased this amp for the studio. Paired with top-grade cabinets, the T5 sounds as good as amps that literally cost 3 times the price.Gives my 1966 Fender Bassman a run at low volumes..I keep thinking that CAN'T be right?! Docking a half point because the phat switch should be foot-switchable, although in the studio setting, not a deal breaker at all. Live...needs a footswitch, but just add a quality dirt/drive pedal in front and get ready to be blown away. Hat's off to Bugera for a super good amp, and to Sweetwater also- especially since the packages/orders usually arrive to Austin,TX area in 2 days, 3 at most. One order was next day, and we didn't even ask for it!

After reading all the great reviews, nothing for me to add other than put me down as another satisfied customer! 2 day shipping to Texas, no one does it better than Sweetwater. This amp goes perfect with my Texas Blues/Hendrixy Monterey pedal board. The reverb is better than expected(actually very good!), although a half star off for not having an effects loop. That would have made this a whole 'nuther beast, opened it up for some serious get-down, but all in all, this is a heckuva amp at a bargain price-point. WELL worth the $$. The T5 is fun as heck to play, a very satisfying experience. Match it with a top-notch cabinet and be prepared!

I am not a "tube snob". However, I do recognize the advantage of at least a few tubes in an amp. I do not just mean a "hybrid" amp. Hybrids only have a tube in the pre-amp section. A true tube amp must have a pre-amp tube and a power tube. The T5 Infinium DOES. I only own three guitars: 1)a 1999 Godin Grand Concert Multiac SA (which is an acoustic-electric nylon string guitar); 2) a recent Gibson SG Special and
3)a cool Vintage Modified Squier 51 with an added ROLLING B-BENDER. I don't need anymore than those and having more only makes me indecisive for which one to play (LOL). The Gibson and the Fender SING thru this amp. It is a very quiet amp for the most part. Simple to operate and not difficult to get a singing, thick sound on either guitar. I teamed it up with a Peavy 6505 Piranha speaker with an Eminence driver and I am more than satisfied. Small footprint/easy to carry/quick to set up (I only use a delay pedal at times). This is loud even with a "Ringo" style drummer playing along. My band (vocals/elec. gtr./elec. bass/keyboards) does not require a Neil Peart or Ginger Baker. Most of the times we play coffee houses and drums are not utilized. As long as this amp holds up I will not need to buy "up". I am satisfied with this little gem.

The Bugera T5 Infinium is a great practice amp. Exactly what I needed and sounds great from very clean to fat to nasty.

Sweetwater is the best! I have never had service from a vendor as complete and professional as I have from Sweetwater. Then to top it off, the Bugera T5 Infinium is amazing. Tone and control to die for and when combined with pedals...perfection! I have been running the T5 at one watt and can't get over the performance. I tried several guitars on the T5 and each one seemed to blossom.

Many thanks Sweetwater! You all are the best.

My first tube amp. Anyone who thinks 5watts isn't enough? This little beast will get loud! Put your favorite overdrive in front of this and wake the neighbors. Would get 5 stars but, won't go into full on distortion without an overdrive. Running through a 412 straight cab with eminence legend 1275 and 1258.

The amp has a great, warm tone and has all of those tonal characteristics that you want in a tube amp. I really like the switch on the back that lets me pick between low, medium(1W) and full (5W) power. A really good practice or studio amp in a small package price.

This little amp rocks for the price. The circuit is nice and quiet, the tone is really great. The amp is surprisingly touch sensitive. Using it straight up it has a nice organic sound. Excellent for blues, jazz, rock ... can easily cover clean punchy BB King to growling ZZ Top. No problem digging in and finding the over tones and harmonics. So much better than some other small heads I've tried named after fruit. Not giving a "5" because the tone controls could be more effective.

Sure you could spend $1k more and get a better amp but at $ these little beauties should fly out the door.

I was looking for a micro head to pair with a custom 10" speaker cabinet that I built. This head made a perfectly sized "micro half stack" with my cab! I used this on a full band gig mic'd thru the house PA on the 1 watt setting and it sounded great coming back to me thru in ear monitors!

Really nice punchy and 'present' tones from this little tube amp. My only caveat is that this amp has a known hum issue. Mine has it and it's not 'fixable' by swapping out tubes. I do like the amp but can't use it for quiet home playing.

Sounded really great when it worked! Unfortunately the build quality does not yield reliability or longevity. Bummed.