Amp - Missing top end grind?

[Sidious]

Hey All

AMP: Bugera 333.

So i was playing my amp in the rehearsal room for the first time in 3 or so years. I've not really noticed this before, but the amp seems to missing all the top end sparkle/grind. It sounds like something missing in the > 2k hz area. Hard to describe.

Im playing raw -> Guitar w/emg81 -> Amp -> Harley Benton 412 (vintage 30s).

Could it be shitty tubes? I mean a new set of tubes is pretty expensive, so im not keen on just buying to try it out. When i watch videos on youtube with the same amp they sound nice. Gnarly and grindy, in the vicinity of a Rectifier.

 

[H-evolve]

I invite others to correct me if I'm wrong, but I really don't think 2 kHz is "the top end". It's more like the middle of the mid range. Anything related to "sparkle", if I understand what you meant, should be above 4 kHz.

But then again, I could be wrong....

That being said, it would really help if you could post a soundclip from your issue.

But, 3 years without playing the amp, my first guess before re-tubing it would be to clean the tube connectors. You still need to remove them, and therefore be careful about it. You then use connector cleaner product, spray it on the tube connectors, and swipe them back in and out 2 or 3 times, so that you also clean the sockets in the process.

Other silly thing to check, your EMG batteries. Put new ones in them and test to see if it helps.

Finally, if those 2 things don't work, it could be bad tubes. Sometimes, good amp tech have quality tubes on hand that they can test. So, if you have a good amp tech that you know, he could swap in some new tubes just to see if that solves the problem. This way, you won't buy them for nothing if it's not the issue.

Oh and also, I have heard on numerous occasions that Bugera amps are not super reliable. Hopefully this isn't true, and your amp is still fine. But this could be also, a cause to this problem.

 

[Sidious]

I invite others to correct me if I'm wrong, but I really don't think 2 kHz is "the top end". It's more like the middle of the mid range. Anything related to "sparkle", if I understand what you meant, should be above 4 kHz.

But then again, I could be wrong....

That being said, it would really help if you could post a soundclip from your issue.

But, 3 years without playing the amp, my first guess before re-tubing it would be to clean the tube connectors. You still need to remove them, and therefore be careful about it. You then use connector cleaner product, spray it on the tube connectors, and swipe them back in and out 2 or 3 times, so that you also clean the sockets in the process.

Other silly thing to check, your EMG batteries. Put new ones in them and test to see if it helps.

Finally, if those 2 things don't work, it could be bad tubes. Sometimes, good amp tech have quality tubes on hand that they can test. So, if you have a good amp tech that you know, he could swap in some new tubes just to see if that solves the problem. This way, you won't buy them for nothing if it's not the issue.

Oh and also, I have heard on numerous occasions that Bugera amps are not super reliable. Hopefully this isn't true, and your amp is still fine. But this could be also, a cause to this problem.

Hey

Thanks for answering.

Im not good with frequencies. In which spectrum does the classic Recto grind reside? I hope you know what i mean. Like a grinder to metal.

It was a little silly of me not telling that i actually used 2 different guitars. My Jackson with EMGs and a Schecter with duncan designed. Apart from the expected difference in output between the two, the same "issue" with the amp still carried over.

I will try recording something with my iPhone the next time im down there.

Yes i know Bugera had (has?) some reliability issues. But i understand it was some kind of Molex connecter to the transformer. So either the amp is working or not, concerning those issues.

 

[Slicklickz]

Hey

Thanks for answering.

Im not good with frequencies. In which spectrum does the classic Recto grind reside? I hope you know what i mean. Like a grinder to metal.

It was a little silly of me not telling that i actually used 2 different guitars. My Jackson with EMGs and a Schecter with duncan designed. Apart from the expected difference in output between the two, the same "issue" with the amp still carried over.

I will try recording something with my iPhone the next time im down there.

Yes i know Bugera had (has?) some reliability issues. But i understand it was some kind of Molex connecter to the transformer. So either the amp is working or not, concerning those issues.

Yeah basically Bugera is Behringer.