Bugera BC15 Guitar Combo Amplifier (15 Watts, 1x8")
Get authentic, vintage tube tone from this compact, lightweight mini combo amp. It features master volume control and 15 watts of power.
Overall User Ratings (based on 2 ratings)
Submitted July 17, 2011 by a customer from windstream.net
"Be realistic about your needs !"
Verified Customer
zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I originally wanted an all-tube Vox amp, but after calling retailers all over the country and finding out that the particular Vox was discontinued, I went with the BC15. Some of my music purchases now are based on what I wanted as a kid and never got, like a Vox amp. If I buy another amp it will be partially due to nostalgia. I'm currently very happy with this amp sound, function, and visually. I don't see any reason I would not replace this with another one if it were stolen. Again, I play for fun, by myself or with a friend or two so it meets my needs. I love the headphone feature, the range of sounds and the appearance. There's really no least liked feature. At just over a hundred dollars, not bad at all.
Sound
For the level of playing I do, it sounds great. Whether playing my 1964 Gibson LG-1, or my 2011 Epiphone Dot Studio I can dial in really nice clean sounds, or get dirty with the Epiphone. OK up against a Fender Princeton Reverb it falls a bit short, but c'mon. I haven't recorded with it, not into that yet, but in a living room it sounds great. The headphone feature is fantastic. I'm a bit of a night owl, and at 1:30 in the morning wailing away in my apartment, I frequently check to make sure I'm really hearing waht I hear through a set of Skull Candy phones. I like the shift button to fill out the sound, or without for twang. All in all $108.00 no tax no shipping, it's a deal.
Features
No accessories included, none needed. Nice smooth controls. A reverb or chorus would be nice, but again I bought a simple amp on purpose. I do get a decent tube sound because of the single pre-amp tube.
Ease of Use
A little playing around with the controls and you can dial up some very satisfactory sounds, clean to dirty. No mysteries with the controls. Again, my 1964 Gibson LG-1 has a Barcus Berry Insider pick-up and it sounds natural with a bit of experimentation. Who needs a manual? Volume, Bass Treble and a mid-pushbutton enhancement, gain, on-off.
Quality
It seems to be well made, no problems with shake rattle and roll, unless you want it to shake rattle and roll. I don't think people who buy this are planning a major tour, but to take over to a friends house to jam a bit, it's perfect. Heavy enough to feel like an amp, light enough to sit on the car seat beside you.
Value
Yes.
Manufacturer Support
No experience in this category.
The Wow Factor
I'm nearing 58 yrs old so I grew up with what many consider to be some classic amps. THIS IS ONE COOL LOOKING AMP ! The cream color is very pretty, and sitting next to my worn brown Epiphone Dot Studio it's a really nice set-up. I'm never going to open for U2, so for the past couple of years I've made an effort to get stuff that looks great as long as it's also primarily functional. An Epiphone EJ-200, Dot Studio and now The Bugera BC15 all very nice visually.
Musical Background:
Long-time hobbyist
Musical Style:
Rock/country rock
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Submitted April 24, 2011 by a customer from gmail.com
"Elegance in simplicity..."
Verified Customer
zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I will eventually upgrade my practice amp, however, I expect that will be years from now, if it got stolen, I probably would buy it again because it's a GREAT value for the price, I can't think of a better amp for the price I payed, it's on par in regards to tone with the micro cube (which I used to own) I would say but has better picking response than the cube did for sure. The thing I like most about it is overall everything meaning: size, tone, loudness, look; the thing I like least is probably that certain levels of distortion seem to be unreachable with the big muff pedal not that I use it often but it seems to be an obstacle.
Sound
I bought it specifically for tone since I have a pedal board and this little guy delivers! The clean is very good (although I haven't really pushed this amp since it's my practice amp), not Fender clean but definitely clean enough, I play funk quite a bit so I need a pretty clean sound. The gain channel is good too, however if you're into metal or hard rock, this amp may not fit your style unless you're looking to get into heavy distortion using a pedal. One thing I did notice about the amp is that it doesn't handle my Big Muff fuzz well (it's fine with my boss DS-2 tho) but like I said, it's my practice amp and I just wanted to get a good full tone well and I'm able to do that.
Features
I was specifically looking for an amp that didn't have effects on it so I see this as a positive. Just the bare minimum on this thing, I liked that there are 2 channels and even though I don't use the bass/bright switch, I think this is a good feature to have for those that are using humbucker guitars (I have a strat and jag and I don't use the bright switch since I have single coil guitars) for at least another option. The headphone output is a nice option, especially if you're just starting out or if you're in an apt complex or something; it would be nice to have a middle knob to hone in more on the tone but this amp but hey, considering the price, it's more than enough amp.
Ease of Use
Fewer features so very easy to use. You will find your tone probably within the first hour of playing with it and if not, for sure sometime during the first day of trying it out. Like I said, it works well with all my pedals except for the Big Muff but it's fine with my distortion (boss ds-2) and over drive pedal (fulltone ocd).
Quality
This is a well built amp, the vintage look is AMAZING and the materials are solid, exactly what I expected since there aren't any effects on it. The speaker sounds great and this little amp fools everyone, it's much louder than you'd think considering its size. Similar to the microcube in size and loudness; I suppose you could gig with this if you're plugging into the PA however, it's probably much more realistic to use this amp in a studio recording session and I think that's something much more plausible. As sturdy as it is, I'd still have a backup if I was going to try to gig with it just because it's so space efficient anyway.
Value
It all depends on what you're going for, this little guy works out great for what I need, if you're looking for a cheap, simple practice amp that's going to give you marvelous tones and picking response, you will be very happy with this amp. If you want a versatile amp that has 25 effects, boost channels and an over dose of distortion, I probably wouldn't recommend this one for that type of player. I've had it for about a month and I'm very pleased with this amp, it works perfectly for what I want it to do.
Manufacturer Support
Never had to find out...I'd say that's the best support!
The Wow Factor
The look and feel of it is totally vintage and that was very attractive to me, I'm not really sure what other people are looking for or whatever but I was immidiately attracted to it when I saw the pictures and even more so the more I read up on it.
Musical Background:
active musician
Musical Style:
Funk, Alt Rock
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