Peavey Classic 50 212 VS Bugera 333 Head + Fender Supersonic 212 halfcab

Toast

Hi all

I currently own a Peavey Classic 50 212 in great condition. It's giving me no problems and it works well for me.

But now I can get a secondhand Bugera 333 Head + Fender Supersonic 212 halfcab (practically new). I've always liked the idea of a "piggy back stack" and I like the Celestion Vintage 30's of the cab.

But I would have to sell the Peavey if I buy this. Would you go for this?

My main concern is with with the reliability and quality of the Bugera amp. Any thoughts?

And will the tone of this setup be significantly better than my current C50?

MIKA-the-better-one

Those peaveys are pretty nice... maybe a bit hummy sometimes???
The supersonic cab is rad but I personally would not go for the bugera head. unless you want extreme high gain???
But then its all your decision. But for me that peavey is pretty cool.
The tone will be different. What guitar do you use or guitars?

Toast

I use a Gibson Les Paul GT (the GOTW limited run)

I gig weekly - mostly in churches. And I play rock praise and worship in the style of Hillsong United, Kutless, etc - not exceedingly heavy, but with some decent overdrive and a contemporary rock feel.

The 50W of the Peavey C50 is generally already too loud - so there is a big concern: will the 120W of the Bugera not be totally useless as I wont be able to crank it up enough to get a decent tone?

The quality of the Bugera VS the Peavey also worries me. I have a bit of a hang-up about build-quality, design and longevity.

BUT the Bugera set-up is so much more versatile, is it not? And the idea of a head and a halfcab vs a combo also attracts me. And then there is that Fender Supersonic cab with Celestions in, which I think is amazing.

And is the head & cab worth more than the combo in terms of $$$?

nicovlogg

I think you should also consider weight and transport - I don't know what that Bugera setup weighs, but it SOUNDS heavy! ?

Why don't you just put Vintage 30's in your Peavey? It'll cost less than R3000, I think?

AlanRatcliffe

Completely different animals. As Mika pointed out, he Bugeras are high gain monsters. They are also pretty new on the market and I remain sceptical of their durability and backup (the Behringer connection...) until proven otherwise.

Also if 50W is already too loud, stepping up to a 120W amp is probably going to cause even more of a problem.

nicovlogg wrote: Why don't you just put Vintage 30's in your Peavey? It'll cost less than R3000, I think?

+1. I back Nico's idea of changing the speakers in the Peavey (see my recent blog on changing speakers in an amp). You already like the amp... The Vintage 30's are a great speaker, and will be a definite upgrade over what you have in there (Blue Marvels?) and retail at only about R1500 each. Note that they will sound different in an open back amp when compared to the closed-back Supersonic cab (better, IMO, but that's a personal taste thing - a metal player would likely prefer the Supersonic).

guitarboy2828

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: Completely different animals. As Mika pointed out, he Bugeras are high gain monsters. They are also pretty new on the market and I remain sceptical of their durability and backup (the Behringer connection...) until proven otherwise.

Also if 50W is already too loud, stepping up to a 120W amp is probably going to cause even more of a problem.

nicovlogg wrote: Why don't you just put Vintage 30's in your Peavey? It'll cost less than R3000, I think?
+1. I back Nico's idea of changing the speakers in the Peavey (see my recent blog on changing speakers in an amp). You already like the amp... The Vintage 30's are a great speaker, and will be a definite upgrade over what you have in there (Blue Marvels?) and retail at only about R1500 each. Note that they will sound different in an open back amp when compared to the closed-back Supersonic cab (better, IMO, but that's a personal taste thing - a metal player would likely prefer the Supersonic).

+1 to everything Alan just said.. Let's face it, a nice little stack looks a lot cooler.. But in this case, it won't sound cooler, unless you were playing metal worship with some metal junkies..

I think the Peavey is the perfect amp for hillsong/kutless, tree63 etc. Awesome gain, nice sounds.. Only thing I'd pick over it is a fender deluxe, i think..

I also agree with the speaker change, if you want to upgrade the peavey, change the speakers, definitely worth it. All in all, it doesn't seem like you're too happy with the Bugera, so don't do it.

needleshy

i own a supersonic cab, its really well built and sounds awsome BUT its really heavy and weighs a bit more than a mashall 4x12 cab due to it only having a handle on the top. wish it had side handles.

i have heard from a few ppl about the poor quality of Bugera.

i was using the head and cab way but i'v changed to using combo's cause its easier to transport.

i have a V30 in my open back combo but i do prefer them in closed back cab, they have more bottom end and thump.

nick

Ive got the Classic 30 and Im seriously considering either a Greenback or a Vintage as an upgrade. If you do do an upgrade let us know 8)

MIKA-the-better-one

Yeh as alan and everyone else has said. The peavey is super nice in my views with a few touch ups can be great. Dunno about it being better than a fender deluxe :/ maybe this would be true if it said fender classic 50 ?
changing the speakers in your peavey seems a good option actually it would give you a new fresh sound and keep you happy.
The bugera does have that cousin relationship with behringer ☹ which is no good when it comes to amps. sad but true.

Toast

I would certainly love those Vintage 30's or Greenbacks in my Classic 50. But for now, they're out of financial range.

The first upgrade that I will do in a couple of months is to install JJ's tubes when the current ones (still the originals) have to be replaced. I've heard they also make a difference. Any thoughts on this? Or would you install something else?

nick

Toast wrote: I would certainly love those Vintage 30's or Greenbacks in my Classic 50. But for now, they're out of financial range.

The first upgrade that I will do in a couple of months is to install JJ's tubes when the current ones (still the originals) have to be replaced. I've heard they also make a difference. Any thoughts on this? Or would you install something else?

Ive had a set of sovtek EL84s in my Peavey and just bought a set of JJ's. I personally didnt notice any difference in tone. There is a mod guide for the Classic 30 and it recons powertubes make almost zero difference its the pre-amp tubes you fiddle with.

I called Yebo who list a Greenback on their website for R1500, they said the supplier has stock but they can only get stock the second week in June.