specialk

I was just talking with a mechanic about this last week, how engines these days last so long, when it used to be bragging rights if one made it to 100k. I speculated that machined tolerances were better these days. He said no, it's that the unwashed masses wised up to the advantages of changing the oil/filter when it's supposed to be done. Even though I'm hearing 5k miles between changes now for natural oils, I still do mine at 3k.

HUGE thumbs up! Thanks for sharing this Quietly. Perfect for Sunday morning reflections with coffee. Great playing, and that clean tone kills.

Amazing. Just shake-your-head amazing at that statement from Jol. With Hamer's lack of advertising and lack of strong endorsers/players over that time frame, charging through the roof isn't gonna fly, even with Hamer's commitment to quality. Best of luck to Jol in his future endeavors anyway.

Special FM and T-51 with the mid 90s necks. For me it just doesn't get any better. Thank you to all the craftspeople at Hamer who had a hand in bringing them to life. And thanks to those involved in the designing of them.

Horrible pictures and a crazy high starting bid.

I just read this entire page and didn't see Paul named once. Sour grapes?

EXACTLY what popped into my head when I read it! Can't wait to see the ad.

#21. Bob Dylan #38. Al DiMeola Pretty much sums up that list for me. Garbage.

OUCH! That is painful just to look at. Mend well, Brooks! It's good to see you posting again.

That there is it! If I ever have the need for a higher power amp, that would be the one I'd call mine. Congrats on a damn fine score.

Cool, Brooks! Thanks for posting, dude. But you have a whole lot more to do than be hanging on the interwebs. Sorry to hear you had to meet up with a dipwad cager, there's lots of them out there. Listen to your doc, do your PT (yeah it sucks), get rested, and keep positive. Be good to yourself! I do miss your posts, bro....

Thanks for the advice on Bugera amps everyone. As I said, I can't afford to sink dough in an amp that's gonna be more trouble down the road. Sorry to hear of your friend's troubles with their Bugeras. That's gotta suck! Still very happy with the Vox.

Mend up, Brooks! Listen to the docs (at least a little) and get recovered soon, bro. And take all the Demerol they give ya,

Carl, the Bugera was okay by my book. Good bang for the buck. I just couldn't pay that money and "hope" the Bugera performed for the long haul. My personal experience follows: Okay, here goes.... I know there are a fair number of pro players on this board with megawatt heads and 4x12 cabs out the wazoo. So you may or may not be interested in this review. Cool, but for anyone wanting to get a real bedroom amp here is my experience. Bugera: $150. 5 watt, vol/tone/gain/reverb. 1x8 combo, Bugera speaker. EL84/12AX7 tubes. Attenuator allows for 5, 1 or 0.1 watt out. Headphone out. Vox: $250. 4 watt, vol/tone. 1x10 combo, Celestion speaker. EL84/12AX7 tubes. Attenuator allows for 4, 1 or 0.25 watt out. 16 ohm external speaker out. Both combo amps were demo’d with a Special FM with 2 buckers, bridge WCR Fillmore and neck Bare Knuckle Mule. For me: The Bugera had a headphone out which was nice (but I’m not a can man). Decent, but to me a “compressed” sound (and not in a good way). Tinny and shallow sound, if that makes sense. The clean wasn’t bad, just not good. The reverb was digital and it sounded like it. Not good. The gain was pretty much the same. A little was good, but beyond say 3 not so good. Changing pickups was kinda blah. The Vox was very responsive and “organic” sounding. Tube saturation was incredible, exactly like what I was hearing in my head. Where this amp really shined was at the lower power settings. Living in a duplex, I can’t always crank the volume, but on the 1 watt and especially the 1/4 watt settings the Vox killed the Bugera in tone. And the pickup selector switch just made such a difference with the Vox. The different characteristics of the pups was crystal clear with Vox. $250 for a 4 watt amp sounds nuts. See the smile on my face? It’s still there. All I can say is try it before you buy it. The Vox was worth every penny to me.

VOX ROCKS! More later....

Z: Thanks for the info. I came across that Bugera = Behringer connection somewhere on the web. I dunno if it's just distribution or manufacturing too, but maybe something to avoid. backinit: Thanks! This is what I'm looking for, direct head-to-head comparisons. And I trust you guys here a LOT more than the faceless monkeys that post on harmony central or other sites. And it'll be all stock amps. I don't want to be buying an amp then have to turn around and put new tubes/speakers in it. That's part of the allure for me of SS amps. When I go back there next week, I will be sure to give tone reports here on both. All three, if I can find that Roland Cube 15x. I'm not a tube snob, I'll use whatever gets me to where I want to be. Decent tone at low volumes, can it really be so hard to find? Seems like it is....

Just wishing I was there right now!

Ken, I don't think the 8" Vox is available any more. I checked a couple of online sites, and they said they were either out of them or it's been discontinued. A shame if true, as I know I read somewhere that the 8" components were better than those in the 10". I know squat about Bugera. I've seen their ads, but that's it. Until I walked into the store I had no idea they made small amps. I had about 5 minutes to mess with it before the youngsters came in to shred. So when I go back, I'm taking my own guitar and giving each one a fair shake. The main reason I was looking at the Cube 15x is because it has a power-squeezer switch that drops the output to 2 watts. Oh well, I'm keeping my ears open and may the best amp win. That Blackheart 5 watter is cool, but for me the convenience of a combo is a bigger deal. Plus I'm on a budget. Anyone know if there is a big sonic difference between a 10" speaker and a 8" speaker? I'm guessing not, at least not at bedroom volumes.

So I finally made it to the local shop today. I was planning on choosing between the Vox AC4TV and Roland Cube 15x. They didn't have a Roland, but they did have the Bugera 5 watt amp. I've never heard one and don't know anybody with one. So I got to looking between the Bugera, here: http://www.bugera-amps.com/EN/products/V5.aspx And the Vox, here: http://www.voxamps.com/us/modernclassic/ac4tv/ They both run 12AX7/EL84 tubes, and both have built-in attenuators. The Vox has a 10" speaker, the Bugera 8". Vox has a vol/tone, Bugera has vol/tone, plus gain and reverb. I really like the cleans of the Bugera over the Vox. The Bugera is $100 less than the Vox. I'm going back Monday or Tuesday with cash in my pocket. Anyone here care to comment one way or the other on either of these?

To everyone going: Be safe. Have a very cool time. Make some noise. Remember, pics or it didn't happen.

Jaw-droppingly cool, literally!

Congrats on getting the BK pickups. I am sure you will be pleased. The neck one in my Special FM is as good as it gets. Love it!

Thanks for clarifying the Max moniker, guys! The bass was a little beat up, but still looked like a good one for the money. I hope someone here got it.

Chris, I meant to ask earlier. What model is the "Max"? Sorry for a stupid question, I just wasn't sure what model Hamer bass this is. Thanks for any info!