Bugera Valves
Every BUGERA tube is hand-selected.
At a glance, valves may seem to be little more than light bulbs. But when they're in your guitar amp, they are the heart and soul of your tone. That's why they must be selected from among millions to be able to deliver just the right sound. But it doesn't end there; the best ones are then matched into sets that complement each other, ensuring the longest possible life for them inside an amp. This process isn't quick or easy, but we think it's worth it.
Our Valve Selection Process
Before any valve makes it out of our doors and into musicians' amps, we use computers, our hands, and—most importantly—our ears to make sure they are up to our standards. It should be noted that while we pride ourselves on building nearly every component of these amps ourselves, the fact is that there aren't many companies making valves these days. So, we buy them by the truckload from these limited suppliers, then begin the mammoth task of picking out the very best of the bunch.
It all starts when a valve is subjected to electronic tests that tell us about the valves' capabilities. Do they exhibit accurate gain? Do they produce unwanted noise? Is the vacuum within the tube going to provide a long life for the valve? Every valve has to live up to our pickiest standards before they advance to the next testing phase. Most valves don't make it through the first round of tests.
Next, they are plugged into a BUGERA amp to see how the amp reacts to the power and sound generated by the valves. Picture this: a technician with a guitar installs the valves, then plugs in and wails for a while, watching the amp and listening. Our techs crank it up, watching how the chassis vibrates and listening for optimum tone. If they sound great and agree with the amp—which only about five percent of all valves we receive do—they are matched into sets and emblazoned with the BUGERA logo.
Our Valve Matching Process
Matching valves into sets is vital because when they draw equal amounts of power, they last longer. If one valve is weaker than the other, the stronger will be overworked and overheated, killing the pair in no time. The harmonic overtones the valves create will sound more pronounced in matched sets. This also improves the sustain of your instrument because of the reduction in phase cancellation. We could go on for pages about how matched valve sets improve your sound's dynamic range and attack response, but you get the point: we pay a lot of attention to the valves we package and install as a set, and we're sure your ears will agree that the time and effort is paying off.
What Makes Valves Sound Good and How They Can Differ
The distinct sound of a valve amp is most commonly described as “warm.” Valves create this full, rich tone when they are powered beyond their typical power range, resulting in a distortion that adds harmonic overtones to the original sound. It also results in a state of compression, in which the low volume parts of the signal are made louder and the high volume parts are made a bit quieter. Think of your favorite classic rock guitar riff; there's a good chance that the sound that's been making you say “Hell, yeah!” for all these years is the direct result of overdriven valves.
Real live people test every BUGERA tube for optimum tone.