Bugera V55 Infinium 1x12" 55-watt Tube Combo Amp Reviews

After owning the V5 W and V22 W Bugera Infinium amps and loving them, I decided to alter course from my current Orange solid state amp for gigging (which is great, but there is that certain something about a tube amp), and picked this one up from Sweetwater for a bargain price. I play mostly clean or edge of breakup, and use pedals to alter my tone and for OD. This amp's clean channel is spectacular, just like the V22, just a great platform for pedals. I tend to not really like the drive channel on most amps, SS or tube (or I just don't play loud enough to make them work), but this drive channel is actually not too bad at all, particularly with a drive pedal going into it. And I was surprised when I went to adjust the power down from pentode to triode that it came defaulted to triode, so this amp can get plenty loud with a lot of headroom! Love the Bugera styling and craftsmanship (my V22 was used/beat to crap but still works great), and the fact they actually include the foot pedal for the price, thank you! And not to mention, the tube life warning lights, and the tube self-biasing, these are killer features for a tube amp! Not many people are up for biasing their own tubes, and though I like to work on my own guitars and swap out tubes or whatever, I am probably not going to do that. For the money, I don't think you can get a much better clean pedal platform than this for a gig situation in a tube amp. I also use it at home at low volumes, and ABY it with the V5 W for gigs and home (which I set on a slightly dirty sound for a great stereo-ish quality).

I purchased this amp.
All I can say is WOW.
I usually run solid-state amps.
I've had fenderchamp x2 tube amp.

This thing is far and beyond anything I've ever played. Can't wait for the speaker to be broke in.

It's like everything I've played up to this point was a amp transistor radio and this is hi fidelity stereo.

Straight up best sounding amp I've ever played

I purchased this amp a few years ago. For the price this amp is amazing. I replaced the stock speaker with a celestion creamback and it took it to a whole new level. My bandmate has a vintage fender deluxe reverb, we did an A/B between the two amps thinking the deluxe would be the clear winner, we now use this amp when we track guitars in the studio. It is an absolute workhorse for the everyday musician. I have used it at hundreds of shows over the years with the same tubes it was shipped in, it has been dropped, knocked over, rained on, beer spilled on and it keeps on trucking, not even a loose screw. 10/10 would recommend.

I bought my Bugera V55 amp from Sweetwater back in 2016 as pretty much a backup amp for my Fender modded HRD. After 6 years of rehearsal and gigging use, there hasn't been a single problem with the amp. I started using EL34's in it instead of the 6L6's and got an entirely new, warmer tone out of it. I don't use the overdrive channel, preferring to run a Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive pedal through the clean channel. Like I said, heavy use, no problems. I wrote a review on the amp when I first got it for first impressions. Now, after considerable use, I can safely recommend it to first time buyers. It's a winner. Tight, punchy and quiet and will roar at higher volumes.

Received my Bugera amp on Thursday and used it for a big Amphitheater show on Saturday. Sound was amazing ! Super clean with only just a hint of amp noise on gain - not even noticeable during song. Super pleased with this amp!

What was expected . Old school with options to keep my abilities growing .
Best experience in years .

I bought this amp to fill a gap in my collection. An amp that could do a Fender style clean. It does that job amazingly well. And honestly better than some of the actual Fenders I have played. I previously worked for Sam Ash for almost 10 years so I have played about every amp you can imagine. This holds up to all of them and exceeds most of them. I am currently using this with the Friedman BE Deluxe and have an amazing 3 channel amp that can do pretty much anything. As always Kaleed Matmati took care of and followed up. Sweetwater has the best customer service out there.

56 years of playing and recording experience as a professional. I can honestly say this is the best amplifier I have ever owned and will cover any genre you wish to play and any kind of tone clean or dirty you wish to play. Recently a band member who rehearsed at our studios blew up his Peavey Valve king right before a gig. I said he could use my Bugera V55 for the gig which he reluctantly borrowed. The very next day he was so impressed with my combo, He went out and bought the Bugera V55 Infinium head. Yes I have owned them all, all Fenders, all Marshals, all Vox amps. This will cover any kind of music there is and tracks your playing spot on. Plenty of head room and plenty of power with excellent tone versatility. So much I can say about this but Again I say THE BEST I HAVE EVER OWNED out of 50 amps or so in this lifetime and with out breaking the bank. Hope this helps. If you don't like the amp Please NOTE: Sweetwaters return policy is easy and without problems.

Since i bought this amp i had not any issue whatsoever concrning to my tone and my main power amp. The german supervision and knowhow plus the excel chinese handcraft work had made this wonderful amp. that if it were made at the USA it would be cost more than a thousand dollars. The clean channel is clear like any Fender and the distorted channel enought to play any bluesy or rock tone. In my particular case is the perfect weapon. Also you have two amps in one cause you can convert it into a 22 Watts amp. NIce reverb and useful pedal for the Rev. and channel selector. The best choice you can buy with less money..

So I was in need of an extra amp with a good sound and I wanted something with a wide range of tones. I first got the V22 but need something with a bit more oommph so I did the satisfaction guarantee thing (super easy and the best customer service in the world, thanks a lot Mike) and got the big brother. Let me tell you this thing screams, I haven't had a lot of time on it yet but wow I have gotten all kinds of great sounds which I can't get from my Deluxe. I think this will compliment my style and my bands music very well, even more so than anything else I have/have had and at a great value too. They really did their homework on this one, I have gotten some chimey wonderful cleans so far and even managed to squeak out a gritty Dumble tone which trust me, I will be fine tuning even more. Highly recommended for a wide range of styles. Even if the price wasn't such a screaming deal it would still be recommended

First I want to say that the people at sweetwater are the most fantastic people i have ever dealt with,I hasd a
small problem with my order(no ones fault)just a mix up with the amp-both have same numbers anyway
my sales engineer Roc straitened it in s heart beat.
The bugera v 55 is a fantastic amp it not only out performs everything in its class it out performs the
big boys on the block,price is not the question here,its sounds better than all the marshalls and fenders,
the only amps that i think have a better tone is a canadian amp called Traynor,they are unquestionally
the best on the market by far.The bugera is a close second with mesa boogie right there. I'm not knocking
fender or marshall every one has there preference and a tone they have in mind.With me its a good clean tone with a little tube break up I don't use a lot of distortion as i think its a cheap way to try and .
sound good..
just my opinions sincerely R.L.Kim

This amp is awesome, I use it with a limited edition wine red deluxe reverb and they sound incredible together. Great looking and great tone and sweet water rocks.

Finally got to really sit and mess with this amp and I'm blown away by it's quality. The amp looks cool and it has a vintage vibe going on. The controls across the front are pleasing to the eye. The clean channel is where this amp excels. It's warm crisp smooth and focused. I would put the tone of the clean channel right up next to a Fender. The lead channel just playing straight into the amp is a little thin, but the amp does pedals extremely well and a good distortion pedal placed in front beefs it up. You just have to have some patience with the lead channel until you hear what you like.For the price of this amp you can't beat it and if you're thinking about the V22 or v55 go with the v55 it's not much more and it's better to have the extra headroom and not use it then to need the extra headroom and not have it. I highly recommend this amp to any player

As a professional musician for 40 years, P have to say this is ne of the best combos I have ever owned. I rank it right up there w/ my 77 Marshall 50 watt head for tones & power. If you want you can create it! Haven't even connected external speakers to it. My Strat, Tele, Les Paul & my Hand made guitars all sound great!!! Like I said if you want a certain tone, you can create it & the Bugera V55 Infinium will handle it. Love the price also!!!
Love Sweetwater, can't beat 'em for price or service. First & almost always last stop on the web.

I received my amp on the day I was told to expect it. It was securely packaged and looks and sounds great. this amp performs better than expected. I'd say it's the best all tube amp you could get for even twice the money. I don't see how anyone could be dissatisfied with this amp.As usual,Sweetwater service was top notch. It's a pleasure doing business with you--Buck, Daytona Beach, Fl.

I got the amp yesterday, it wasn't what I expected it was much more! Out of the box, I have never been as satisfied then I am with this amp, and James Shilliday, my rep from now on. can I have played for over 35 years and believe me when I say I know I have found the right place to get what I need and they will be getting all of my business from now on. I have had to return items, I got store credit with absolutely no hassles, they have always been very helpful and understanding and have gone out of the way to ensure my satisfaction. Thanks James you're the man!! great amp!! And 5 stars for James too!!

I normally do not write reviews but I had to write this one. I am a professional musician playing club venues over 40 years now and been playing for 53 years all together. This amp stands up against any amp out there in it's class and for a lot less money. I recommend it to any player who wants a great amp without breaking the bank. I also considered the Bulgera V22 but it did not have enough head room for the size venues I play. I play all genre's and I like to use my three pedals and I also like them to sound transparent. My pedals are TC Electronics Hyper Gravity Compressor, Wampler Dual Fusion and a Nux Time Core Delay. For that I need head room and this amp delivers it with great tone capability. However, That is not why I am writing this review. Like others who have bought this amp it had a couple of bad tubes when it arrived, one 6L6 and one12ax7 and it was making some weird pinging noise. No surprise coming all the way from China where it is manufactured to the States. Guess what? The tube indicator works great. I would think that could happen to any kind of amp being tossed around by shipping coming from the other side of the world. I emailed my salesman at Sweetwater and he responded very quickly. He told me to call tech support and they would handle it. I called the number he gave me and not only did they handle it but way beyond my expectations. The tubes went out that same morning and arrived the next day. That was so cool. Within 1 day after calling my problem was gone. 5 stars for you Sweetwater and many praises to your tech support team. Because of this I ordered more gear and I must say, "Sweetwater, You are a breath of fresh air to deal with." I hope this reveiw helps for all you gear hunters.

Very nice amp...great tone, clean sound, well made, I enjoy playing my tele and PSR guitars through this amp.

I was most pleasantly surprised! You will not be disappointed with the sweet and pristine tube sound, the construction quality, and vintage boutique appearance of this combo. The 12" Turbosound speaker sound warm and moderately punchy in the open back cabinet; nicely balance and no ice-cold digital frequencies here. I usually play jazz, some blues, and classic rock and all these genres, IMHO sound beautiful.

When you set the versatile impedance switch in the back [possible settings are 4, 8, or 16 ohm] to the 4 ohm setting, you are able to drive two external 1x12 8-ohm speakers [unplugging the internal speaker] with the amp. I have enjoyed connecting it to a Carvin Audio 112V 1x12 100W cabinet with a Celestion G12 Vintage 30 speaker factory upgrade and, I tell you, it sparkles with clarity. Never expected it to be this good. I will also be testing it with a 1x15 guitar cab equipped with a WGS G15C Ceramic 15" 75W American Vintage Speaker, 8 Ohm, very soon and a Wampler Ego Compressor. I may post the result here.

Another feature I like is the pentode/triode rocker switch in the back. It allows you to go from maximum [pentode] power to a very manageable lower volume [triode] for practice and evening playing at home. Adding to all the nice features of the amp is the Infinium self-calibrating tube technology. I think the V55 is a very sensible investment that will last you many years.

Call Ryan Wiltermood -great guy to deal with- and he will set you up with this great combo!

I am indeed "blown away" by this amp. It has lived up to all my expectations and delivered capacities I was unaware of. I'm very pleased.

Amazing amp. I'm so happy with it. I have been using Native Instruments Guitar Rig and it took some time for me to tame that and some noise issues from the computer but now I'm ready to go all in on a 5 star review. This amp kicks butt. I've never had anything but lower price solid state amps. I had no idea what I was missing.

I have been a musician for about 40 years now. I have played through just about every tube amp out there, and I currently own a Marshall JCM2000 and a Fender '68 Custom Twin. This amp is phenomenal! Some might say "for the price" or 'for its size", but the truth is...it is just a great amp. Plenty of headroom, CLEAN cleans and nice, beefy distortion. Handles pedals VERY well. Out of the box, it is gig ready and I wouldn't be afraid to take it in place of my Twin (in fact I have the last 3 times I played out). When I say "unleashed" in my title, I am very particular about my tone. Like I said, the amp is fantastic as is, but I swapped the tubes for JJ's, and added a small EQ pedal inline with the effects loop just because I like a lot of bottom end. As always, Aric Brenner and the staff at Sweetwater are top notch and have become my go-to shop after 40 years of dealing with our local music store. The service is unmatched and Aric treats me as a friend, not a customer. Buy this amp!! You won't regret it.

Yes, 5.0 for me. This amp is top notch in quality. I cannot believe Bugera was able to budget the V55 Infinium at such a low price.

The clean channel was actually clear and the dirty channel was actually clear and pure tone. I love this amp so much I am ordering a second one tomorrow.

"What is better than one Bugera V55, two Bugera V55s."

Elmer Santiago, Jr.

This is the most amazing amp I've heard! The clean is the purest sound I've come in contact with. I researched the quality before buying and watched a video of the Bugera/Behrringer factory on you-tube, this is not a sweat shop, highly regulated, lots of R&D, 3,000 people that are paid well by China standards and seem happy, kind like the early FORD days. They have people hired to just turn knobs, they are checking for consistency and quality in the movement. Bugera is backed by a 3 year warranty, they know it's quality at an affordable price. Most amps are made in Mexico or China even non-custom Fenders and some in factories they don't own or control so quality is up to a person not directly connected to the brand because they make many brands, NOT Bugera, they own, control and manage each item made, even the parts are made by them. Buy one today before the word gets out ad they're all gone! I bought it from Sweetwater, they are the best!

flawless.great amp a lot of bang for your buck.

Let me get the only complaint out of the way. The reverb! It is usable, I'm just not a big fan of it's reverb...to me it lacking some character. This is my 3rd Bugera amp, and it is quickly becoming my favourite! In the past I used , hybrid, solid state , amps with el84,el34 and 6v6. 6L6 and 6V6 are very similar as far as tone goes, I love the headroom on this amp.There's a very nice breakup when you push the amp, I haven't used an OD pedal at all. I've read all the reviews good and bad, honestly other than to reverb, I don't have any negative things to say about this amp. The tones are very crisp and clear, I'm reserving my take on the speaker until it gets broken in... would I recommend this amp yes I would!

Lots has been said about these Burgera amps. I've had two of the V22 versions. This is my first V55 version - which has the 6L6 tubes for that more fendery clean headroom sound. The larger cab gives some warmth to all of that. It does look kinda empty behind there -being it has one 12 inch 70 watt speaker. Consider the 60 watt fender DeVille which either gives you a 410 or a 212 and about the same size cabinet closure. ..Or the Twin reverb. I think Bugera wanted you to feel like you had one of these kind of amps. However at 55 Watts I would say it feels a little lacking if you compare it to those other amps. So don't do that! On its own it's great and totally nails that ZZ Top Brown Sugar sound with thick woody notes. I find the volume to be very tame on it. Plenty of headroom and takes pedals better than my Hot Rod Deluxe. The reverb on it is just okay it's not awful ..but it's nothing super exciting either. Bugera used a Hall Reverb chip on it and it does get the job done. I wish they would have used a spring reverb chip instead. Some have complained that the clean and game channel shares the same EQ, but that's no big deal to me. On initial fire up you may hear the highs to be a bit metallic and the lows a bit flubby. No worries, it just means the speaker needs to be broken in a bit. Once you do - it warms up nicely and the highs get their magic back pretty quick. I've heard it said that it takes about 2 weeks to break the speaker in real good. After that they say you won't want to replace it. Anyway

Some things that stand out:

Great Tube tone and volume
Looks classic and super sharp .. I have no problems displaying it in my living room.
Super quiet and no noise coming out of it.

Concerns:
You will swear this thing is bolted to the floor when you go to pick it up! lol - yes it's heavy.

Bugera is known for installing crappy tubes in these. Meaning they don't last very long so you better have a set ready. These amps are known to give you rattle, hiss and static right out of the box from bad tubes. I got lucky on this one and sounded great time the get-go. Best to buy this amp from an established retailer like Sweetwater in case you get a bad one.

That weight!!!

I couldn't be happier with this amp. I just recently began my journey into guitar and don't know too much about tone or the nuances of an amp however it instantly put a huge smile on my face! Loui was great during and after my purchase. Much appreciated! Looking forward to many more purchases thru Sweetwater. Seems all my lists rapidly shoot to 20K before I know it, as I'm sure many of you can understand. I was told by others that I didn't need an amp so powerful for just learning but why not. It's perfect for home and I love it. Go big or go home.

This amp delivers amazing clean and warm sounds, the reverb is pretty good and it also looks great. The only downside is that it for some reason weighs 50 pounds! Most other amps in that range are around half so it's a pain if you have to move it around.

I've had my v55 for a week now, so time for first impressions to you who may be considering getting one. First of all, I'm traditionally a Fender man, picky about clean tone that isn't brittle. My main amp has been a modded Hot Rod Deluxe for years, and I'm very pleased with it. However, I was looking for a gigable, low-cost tube amp that I could just leave at my weekly Saturday night venue-- a place that is not used except on weekends, so it gets cold and hot inside during the seasons. Not what I wanted to expose my HRD to. After reading a LOT of reviews, watching YouTube demos, etc., I went ahead and took the plunge on this Bugera, rationalizing that if I didn't like it, I could return it within the Sweetwater 30-day return policy. Plus, the amp has a Bugera 3-year warranty, and Sweetwater has a no-problem 2-year warranty in-house on top of that which did much to ease my trepidations about buying a "cheap" amp.

I gotta tell you, this amp is WAY beyond my expectations! Solid build quality, and most important, good tone. I'm not particularly in love with the stock speaker...it's OK and to someone else's ear it might ring their bell, but I sswapped it out for an Emmy Texas Heat and the amp stood up on its feet and barked at me! I kept the Bugera stock preamp tubes, but replaced the power tubes with Ruby MSTR's which I have always liked the sound of. I even had fun trying out EL34's in the amp, and then MIXING one EL34 and one 6L6 which you can do fearlessly due to the Infinium technology on board! It was a good sound, but I ended up preferring the dual 6L6's for live performance. I particularly enjoy the Pentode/Triode switch that cuts the power in half...lets you run the amp hotter in small venues without getting ridiculously loud...which this thing can get!

Initial impression: Good. Very good. Nice build, pots have nice feel, not too stiff or too mushy, nice finish and solid construction. Tone is VERY flexible and the overdrive is totally tube, and sounds lovely...not a metalhead's amp, but great for classic rock and blues. The only reason I deducted a half-star is because whoever designed the metal tube "cage" protector must have been hung over. In order to change or replace tubes, you have to take out the speaker, undo 5 TINY screws, and then remove the cage from the chassis. Ridiculous. Who's gonna do that on stage if a tube blows? I took mine off and left it off...the power tubes are positioned well behind a transformer for protection, and the preamp tubes are recessed into the chassis so there's really no need for the cage unless you are transporting it over a long distance where it will get banged around a lot (like on a ship from China to the USA!). Chinese made, yes. But well made nonetheless. I remember when "Made in Japan" was a "stay away" warning on a product. Later, Made in Japan was a sign of quality. Same seems to be happening with Chinese made electronics. Peavey's are now made in China, Marshall 40DSL's are made in Vietnam, and Fender non-custom amps are made in Mexico. So most of us are playing offshore amps out here as a result. And they ALL have their issues, but the majority of them hold up well and perform acceptably.

All this to say that if you're comparing this v55 to any other amp in the same price bracket, I would encourage you to get this one. It has a LOT going for it, not the least of which is the Infinium tube technology. And, of course, you can enjoy the exceptional service and care that Sweetwater has provided me for years in dealing with them, which is value added to your purchase.

Overall a very nice amp. I was trying to decide between this and a Fender Blues Jr III. I ended up purchasing the V55 and overall I am very happy with my choice. I was looking for something to play in small to medium size venues and this fits the bill perfectly. You can crank it up and get a nice tone without blowing everyone away. The sound is clear and crisp with a nice low end coming from the 12" speaker. The EQ is nice and the ability to select between Triode and Pentode is a handy option. The only concern that I have is that the distortion is not as beefy as I was expecting from a tube amp with a 15" speaker, but since I'm using a Line 6 HD500 as a front end this is not as big of a concern for me.

Cheap amps - yeah you might think that Behringer puts out cheap products or are lead to believe from adverts or what ever. We use these products in pro settings and they have never failed us. We have had 2 of the V22 amps in service since they first came out 5-6 years ago and never let us down and sound really superb. I was looking for an amp that fits into the liftable combo range that has enough headroom to play large stages and not break up....yeah thats right I want MORE headroom which amp designers including Fender seem to dialing out of their heads. I am no fan of a Fender amp breaking up so i was done with the Deluxes - really diappointed in the quality of the "68 Custom Vibrolux - and A/C 30 is just too heavy and light in the headroom. My Super Reverb is great but too big. Twin Reverb....the best for me and impossible. So I ordered one of these and viola....55W of headroom with an upgraded speaker from the old V22's. this amp is fantastic - great platform for tone shaping pedals. When I hit the fuzz - I switch over to the gain channel to soften the sawtooth a bit and its fat and feathery. The cabinet is good size for a 12" and it VERY open in back. Sounds great turned a round. If you like that tight closed back sound this isn't for you. Reverb is usable. Dead quiet - no hiss buzz. Does have to tube spring rattle so dampers are needed. I dumped my $1200 Vibrolux in favor of this import and do not regret it at all - amps are tools and these just work really well

The Bugera V55 INFINIUM 55 watt Tube Combo is a great sounding amp. The clean tones are sweet and pure. A great value for the price. I would recommend this amp to anyone who enjoys pure clean sound.

Loved this amp until the digital reverb started cutting in and out. Brought it to 2 different repair shops and both gave the same answer. You can"t gets parts from the manufacture.

The clean channel sounds great, not into the lead channel all that much. You don't need a lot overdrive playing in church. So for I like the amp.

My first V55 had some sort of grounding issue out of the box that caused an ear splitting screech when I played certain notes. Sweetwater immediately sent a replacement.

The new amp sounded great: warm tone, decent gain, lots of head room. After 9 months of playing it once a week in the same room (never gigged out with it), it just died in the middle of a rehearsal with no warning. I searched the comment boards to see if others had had a similar problem. The answer was yes, with the general theme being: Bugera makes budget amps that sound great but have poor quality control.

Luckily, Sweetwater again stood behind their warranty policy and even agreed that since I still had all the original packing material, they would allow me to replace the V55 with a different amp. I'm upgrading to a more expensive, but hopefully more dependable brand.

I will say again that the Bugera had great tone--but I just don't trust the brand anymore. Some people swear by them, so it might just be luck of the draw on the quality control.

But I can't give enough praise for Sweetwater's return policy and customer service over the phone.

The only reason I am not giving it just 1 star is when the amp was working it sounded great! It had punch, power, deep tone, clear high and warm mids. I want to preface this with the fact this has never left my basement/music room. so it was not banged around or jostled in any way ever! One day I am playing and I press the foot switch to go to the B channel and poof... Nothing!!! Sent it to my local repair shop and here is what went wrong: Bad channel regulator, all transistors in the B (Overdrive) channel were fried and the PCB went bad. This is a $300 fix not counting labor. Why was the design made to where 1 part goes bad it takes 3 other very expensive parts with it. Pretty much disposable

I have received two in the last week. Floor model wouldn't power up. Called returns and was refered to tech who recommended I replace the fuse. This is not something anyone should do. Got a replacement today and same situation. Buyer beware.

I loved it for about ten days even though it wasn't very loud for 55 tube watts. I heard a pop while playing and it was dead. I believe that the tube life preserving circuit is to blame and doing the opposite of what it supposed to do. I ended up with a "blues deluxe".

I bought the V5 Infinium, and when I received it I immediately plugged it in, let it warm up and played it for about 30 minutes. It sounded and performed great. I bought it to use as a backup amp. I later bought another Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue and decided to sell the Bugera. I plugged it in, let it warm up and it started making a loud buzzing noise. I switched it to standby and everything went out. The tech at Sweetwater told me it was likely the power tubes. This seems to be a reoccurring issue with this amp. If I want to sell the amp I now need to replace the power tubes. I've read other reviews where people have had great success with the amp. I have not.

If you are looking for screeching high end a non usable reverb and want to be married to the same eq (that you had to tweak for hours to get something usable) in your gain channel as your clean. Then this may be the unit for you. I gave it one star because it is very heavy and makes a great doorstop or foot stool.