There's no getting around it: an overdriven vacuum tube is the sound of rock. Solid state amps and tube modelers may be getting closer and closer to an approximation of tube distortion, but there's nothing like the creamy, searing, gut-kicking overdrive a real vacuum tube yields when it's saturated with power. Unfortunately, most tube amps are thousands of dollars more expensive than their comparably loud, solid-state equivalents, so blue-collar rockers are often forced to make do with cheaper, transistor-based rigs. . . until now. The Bugera 333XL is an all-tube, hand-built, 120-watt monster of hard rock glory. It's jam-packed full of useful features you'd typically find only on a boutique amplifier, but its greatest feature may just be the unbelievable price.
Real Tube Tone: There's No Substitution
Why can't solid-state transistors replicate the sound of an overdriven tube? The reason is simple: transistors, when pushed to the brink, "clip", creating a harsh buzz that's akin to the noise that results from overloading a mixing board channel. "Faux-tube" technology takes that sound and attempts to shape it into something more pleasant, but that's like taking barbed wire and trying to spin it into gold. No such alchemy is needed with the Bugera 333XL; its real tubes don't clip, they "break up" in an organic, non-linear way, so your guitar tone will remain full, punchy and musical from the cleanest clean to the subtlest rhythm crunch to the screaming leads that rock legends are made of. Bugera uses real tubes in the preamp and power sections, so your entire signal path benefits from searing valve power.
Three Channel Versatility
Three 12AX7 tubes power the preamp, and the 333XL makes the most of this flexible arrangement by providing you with three separate channels, each with its own unique gain structure. This amp can do anything you'll ever need it to do: the "Clean" channel gives you tons of shimmery, crisp headroom for lush chordal work and spankin' funk; the "Crunch" channel brings in a bit o' the dirt, perfect for chunky power chords and bluesy melodies; the "Lead" channel tops things off with huge, sustaining distortion for savage metal riffage and soaring, singing solos. Best of all, each channel features its own, discrete, three-band EQ. Beyond simply switching between gain-ranges, you'll be able to radically alter the sound of your amplified guitar, instantly, just by switching channels. This full range of tube tone will be at your fingertips, or rather, your toe-tips, because the Bugera 333XL ships with its own four-function footswitch, a necessary accessory that many amp makers make you buy as an "extra."
120 Massive Watts Of Power
Tube technology may be almost one-hundred years old, but it still helps the Bugera 333XL Guitar Head crank out enough volume for today's biggest venues! A quartet of EL34 tubes generates up to 120-watts. . . that's more than enough power for your next stadium tour. EL34 tubes are the same type found in the high-gain stacks of the 60s British blues-rock revolution, and the 333XL comes pre-loaded with that classic, flame-thrower tone. If you so choose, however, you can simply flip a switch on the back of the amp, and your Bugera is now biased for 6L6 power tubes, the valves that provided the earliest American guitar amps with their sparkly clean headroom. Owning a Bugera 333XL head is like having two boutique amplifiers for a fraction of the price of one! Plus, no matter what speaker cabinet you favor, or how many you choose to bring on the road with you, the 333XL's switchable impedance can handle any arrangement. Switchable speaker impedance, three-channel operation, swappable power tube types. . . there's plenty of ways to tailor the Bugera 333XL to your unique tastes.
More Boutique Features Than Most Boutique Amps!
Switchable power-tube biasing is just one of several features on the Bugera 333XL that you'll typically only find on micro-manufactured amps costing thousands of dollars. Wondering whether 120-watts may be too much for some venues? Not a problem: Bugera outfitted the XL amps with the XL circuit which, when engaged, automatically compensates the master EQ curve for lower volumes. Turning down your 333XL doesn't mean neutering your tone. Another handy and none-too-common feature: a footswitchable effects loop. Many amps have an FX loop, but the Bugera 333XL's loop can be taken in and out of your signal path via the included footswitch. Use it to turn multiple effects on an off with a single stomp--it's like having extra feet! It's a mystery to us why more amps don't include this useful function, but you'll be glad your new 333XL does.
Stop pining over those big-name, over-priced tube heads! Get a Bugera 333XL, and live out your rock-god dreams with the legendary distortion that only an all-tube head can provide. It's what your guitar was made for!
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