Behringer BX1200 112 Bass Combo

I own two of these, both made in 2002. This amp is not for primary sound generation on stage, it simply does not have the power. However if you are an old goat like me, run it through the main PA (it has an excellent XLR out) and use it as a monitor, it's awesome! I agree with previous comments about the ultra bass feature. A chorus would have been nicer. Both of my amps are used on stage with our Church worship team. I play two 5 string basses and was pleasantly surprized that it could handle the "B" string, which is unusual for a 12" speaker. Having two channels is a plus for goosing up the sound level for solos.

We play anything from orchestral, rock, jazz and regge. This amp has a nice punchy sound that helps to distinguish from the other instruments. I have found the amp to be very quiet, especialy the XLR out which is very important in my application. If it is driven too much it will clip. I sometimes use a compression pedal with it. (Ibanez bass only)

I have two because one died on me when it was 6 month old. I like this amp so I had no problem buying a second one. Flaws happen no matter what you buy, so I just take it in stride. I have other Behringer equipment and have found it to be a very reliable brand.

This is where the rubber meets the road. When my amp died, I contacted Behringer through thier website. I had a resonse within two days. The repair center was in New York (about 120 miles from me) and they took only a week to repair it.

I have been playing bass for 22 years. My main axe is a Ken Smith Burner series which sounds good no matter what you play it through. My backup is an Ibaneze 820 both are 5 string basses. I like that this amp takes up very little floor space and yet still gets the job done. This amp sounds as good as amps costing twice as much. The handle placement leaves a lot to be desired, so I would have second thoughts about using it if I had a lot of one night stands or at least a good hand truck. When using the XLR out be sure the phantom power on your board is off. It turns the speaker off.

Check the site (behringer.com) or the other reviews.

I have to admit I run through 2 preamps before this EQ does anything- the on-board EQ on my bass and my ZOOM 506II. I think that because Behringer is new to the bass amplifying market- you need to give them a little slack with early productions. On the other hand, the later models like mine is defintely an improvement to what I've read here. I can get a fair bit of tonal variation- although parametric EQ's are always limited. It's pretty clean with a little bit of noise. The Ultrabass and Dynamizer really add that extra growl and punch- something that I've become a fan of.

Haven't had any of the problems mentioned. It only exists as a practice, small (at times acoustic) gigs. I've only gigged with it onces though at a cafe, and it was fine. The thing is, I'm addicted to my SWR sound so I always manage to use that rig :)

Overall this amp will never cut it as a gigging rig. Despite the 120watts... 12 inches of aluminium cone is and will never be enough to move some serious air. It's unfortunate that you can't use an extension speaker (without eliminating the internal)... but I'd have to say, get this amp only if you want to grow out of your practice amp on a budget or just for small gigging. I've worked with other Behringer equipment before on the technical side of gigs and it's all worked great- in fact better than great. They're just going thorugh a few teething problems- it's not like the first Fender bassman had breathtaking tone!

This amp is good, and pretty flexible. Footswitch, "Ultrabass", active and passive inputs, four band equalizer, shaping knob. I can dial in a couple good sounds.

I play a Mexican P-Bass through a bass pod, and directly into the amp. I play all kinds of stuff, from blues to rock, and I play with my church. I haven't noticed too much noise, and I'm able to get pretty much any sound, with the help of my bass pod of course.

It feels pretty sturdy, although the little plastic knobs seem kind of flimsy. Every once in a while, when someone steps on the power cable, the amp seems to shut off for a few seconds.

It seems to work okay. If somebody stole it, I would probably try for a better amp, because of the volume level, but other than that, it's not too bad.

New
Extremely versatile
2 ch., channel switching with footswitch, headphone jack, preout
I am satisfied with the features.
I use this amp for rehearsal and small gigs as a wedge.

This amp can get any sound you want. I am a professional player and play seven nights per week in a music theater. I have had every brand name and every size of cabinet and am writing this review because I feel that the others reviews of this amp are unfair, this is a great tool for practicing, which is what it was designed for, not as your main amp on a huge stage with the full band.

I have found Behringer products to be very reliable for the money, remember it is a money saver, but when you compare the specs to the Hartke equivalent, you get twice the features for half the money, and it sounds just as good. Honest.

I have never used their support, lets face it at this price, if it tears up and I cant fix it myself, I will just order a new one.

Again, I am only writing this review because I felt that the other reviews submitted might keep someone from purchasing this unit, who would use it the correct way. It is a versatile combo amp to be used for practice, jamming, recording, and a supplement to a larger amp. The Ultrabass feature should not be a reason to buy this amp, and for those of you out there who think that you are experts on subharmonic processing, you should maybe try some other brands, then you will see that none of them track perfectly and this amps function is no exeption, but this is no reason to not purchase this wonderful amp.

Bass Combo, 2 channels, 2nd channel with shape function, 4-band eq, 'ultrabass' facility, plenty of i/o options such as ext. speaker facility, tuner out, headphones, efx loop which can be used as preamp out or amp in, channel footswich, 12" speaker (hmmmm.....) Made in China to certified manufacturing standards.

Many of the reviewers here have mentioned the anomaly of 120 watts RMS going through a 12" speaker. My old Peavey 75watt combo was louder than this (that had a 15" speaker...). I suppose that's where the ext.speaker facility comes into it. However, the preamp out makes up for that as I hook it up to my Jade 150watt keyboard combo to get a much bigger bass sound on stage (provided I don't wish to use the fxloop!) On it's own the Behringer doesn't quite hold up with a loud band in a live setting. Still, so far it's been quite solid.

Ultrabass can be useful but as some of the reviewers have said, sometimes it kicks in a little late. I find the Ultrabass funcion a little amusing sometimes, it sounds like a Viking on mandrax.

I'd suggest a 15"speaker within the unit would make this a quite functional gung-ho little beast rather than being an amp with "character", as the specs say. Still, for the price, it's a good buy.

My newly acquired MexFender Jazz Standard sounds lovely through it, fair enough, it's a lovely axe. My style is similar to say, Steve Kilbey of the Church. The Dynamiser circuitry gives a sonorous, full & warm sound at low volumes although the disadvantage here is I find with the Behringer bass amps (I've got the BX300 and it applies to this amp too) is that the volume level barely registers any notable difference from 5-10 (mid-max), moreso than amps by other manufacturers. That I take to be the Dynamiser circuitry at work (I think that's a Behringer Pat.pend), making sure that the sound stays full and sonorous rather than overly punchy or thudding at high volumes. The positive is that the sound stays fairly warm and fullsome at any volume level. The Dynamiser technology seems to make up for the need for a compression switch it seems.

Ultrabass I find to be quirky and a touch unpleasant, yet it's useful for a bit of extra growl at least. As another reviewer mentioned, a chorus effect instead of the Ultrabass would arguably have been more helpful.

On the whole, sounds good, but this is definitely the softest 120watt combo you'll ever hear. I wouldn't mind hearing the amp through a 15" speaker cabinet (4 ohms, of course!)

So far, it's been reliable. Going by what others have said my fingers are crossed, and are touching wood!

Behringer seem very "family" orientated, part of the "team" etc, they make you fell welcome when you purchase one of their products and register it online. I don't know what they're like when it comes to the nitty-gritty though, when you turn up at their doorstep or phone-line with a blown amp...

Been playing bass for half my life now, on and off, mainly off but back into it again recently. Own a Jap P-Fender purchased in 1988, plus a mex Jazz Standard Fender recently acquired. Play also keyboards & acoustic guitars.

I like this amp because it's small and functional, and very very versatile. I like the sound generally.

What I dislike is that it seems "incomplete", it's hard to say if this is a genuine stage/full rehearsal combo or merely a practice amp - it seems to lay somewhere in between...I'm sure Behringer will create another bass amp at some point with a 15" speaker - that's what I wish it had although then it wouldn't be as compact and versatile. Also, the 'Ultrabass' still strikes me as being a little strange, although I happily use it sometimes - not for the effect per se, but for the extra "mass" and growl in the sound.

It's not a loud amp, as mentioned, my old Peavey 75 watter was louder than this. Still, it's almost loud enough and the sound is good at a high volume - and I love the preamp out facility (going through my keyboard combo it all sounds quite big, like a rig). That solves the volume problem on stage.

The price is competitive. Good value for the money spent - the best really, that's why I bought it.

Depending on how things go I may purchase something more high-powered in the future and keep this as a rehearsal buddy only. Would I replace it again, I don't know....it's like owning a hybrid pet, you take care of it but it seems almost like an alien object and you can't help but look upon it bemusingly....it doesn't "feel" like a bass combo...it is a hybrid really - somewhere in between a decent stage bass combo and decent practice amp.

I suppose this amp was made also with studio and recording in mind. In that, it makes a lot more sense.

this is quite a new amp on the market, with a 12" alluminium speaker driven by a 120w amp, altho it dosnt seem to be that loud! its got 2 channels, 1 with a special tone modellin knob, which is very usefull indeed, i can get some nice smooth tones using it! the ultrabass feature allows you to harmonize your note with an octaver...but dosnt work too great. Got alot of stuff for a cheap amp!

i use this with a ibanez 6 string and a yamaha 4string with actuve pickups! both guitars sound good thru it, and i do think it handles the low B string well! Iv managed to get some lovely tones out this thing, and id be happy to use it for recording, perhaps just using an external compressor and a touch of verb! i'd also say its easily loud enough for a small venue or practice, as iv used it for both! its also got a D.I output at the back so if you need more power, just stick it though the pa! sounds suprisingly good! its got a huge punch for the size, i cant beleive that guy said it had no punch, he must be joking!

unfortunetly the day i got it the fuse blew, but apart from that its been solid, and works fine! at first the hummin noise comin from it i thought was a fault, but readin reviews it seems to be a design thing!

never had to use them, but there site, and the documents with the ampo seem to go into alot of detail!

OVerall this is a great soundin amp for the price! Your obviously not gonna get the humf of a 600w bass rig out of such a small thing, but the sound is terrific! if it were stolen id get another one simply cos im sick of lugging round my big rig! the BX1200 is small, compact with a punch big enough for a small venue

well from the other reivews you probably get the idea for the features, 2 channels, 1 with shapin feature, ultrabass feature, 4 eq knobs, tonnes of outputs at the back, giving a good 8 for features since there is loads for a combo

this is whre this amp beats all others at this price range. The punch off this is astounding! i cant beleive theres a guy says theres no punch toit! he obviously hasnt tried other amps! this is a lovely sounding amp, especially through channel2 wih the shape function on! ok, the ultrabass thing dosnt work great, but i wouldnt have used it anyway!

unfortunetly the 2nd day i had it, the fuse blew, i dunno if that had anythin to do with the reliablilty of the thing, but apart from that, iv had no problems with it, never really used the pedal tho, so i dont know if that works great!

never used it. but theres plenty of information in the manual

its great! for the price i paid!

It is very versatile with a 2 channel setup, kickback design, shape control, DI Out, RCA inputs, ULTRABASS (octave divider of sorts) feature. The features it contains is not the most "used" features for a combo amp of this size and sound. The power rating is VERY generous.. if it can put out even 100W RMS I'd be surprized. I have used this amp in a practice setting and a small gig setting. Very little headroom in the amp. Many features when you look at it on paper... guess that is a strong point?

Used both my main axe Carvin LB76P with 18V active pickups, and my beater bass, an OLP mm2 musicman style bass. The sound of the amp left alot to be desired. even with the treble fully cranked, tone on the bass turned up it barely was bright enough during finger playing. Also the ULTRABASS Feature doesn't track as well as one might hope. But again for the $250 paid for it.. you definitely get what you pay for.

Perhaps it was a bad unit, but after having it for less then a month it simply blew. After a long process of going back and forth with a slow reacting Behringer customer service, I finally got it sent bck to them covered under warranty where I was told that an integrated circuit was blown. I have played bass for 10+ years and have gone through more equipment then one should after playing that many years. I have NEVER had an amp blow, and this includes a junk no name amp from Musicians' friend, and most other older used amps that had time on them before my purchase.

Slow responses, claimed they never recieved my first submission, though I had the confirmation that they received it. Sad to go through so many hoops for an amp under a month old. They did take care of the costs under warranty aside from me shipping the amp to a shop to fix it. Over all the blown amp cost me $30 in shipping.

Been playing for many many years, Everything from Peavey, Fender, Hartke, SWR, David Eden, and now Behringer... I currently now use a Eden Nemesis 210P combo amp for practice and small gigs. No love lost on this item.. The sound compared to the Basic 40 from Peavey in the mid 80s. Yet this one was new and supposedly 120W RMS, as rated by Behringer. Anyone looking into this amp, I would suggest getting into a Peavey combo amp, or if you have a few extra bucks look into the Hartke kickbacks... I have used them often and LOVE the sound of the amp.. Anything is better then this Behringer BX1200 that I sadly bought on the simple specs and the urge to save money. I replaced it with a used Nemesis combo amp, and there is NO COMPARISON!!!

I decided to go for this amp, despite reading some of the more negative reviews below. (People who have had problems are more likely to write than people for whom the product is OK, I think.)

I wanted:
- portable, smallish footprint
- at least 100W power
- kickback style
- post-EQ, post-FX XLR DI out
....so I bought it!

From the docs on Behringer's website, you'd think it could take an additional speaker, but in fact the built in one plugs into the speaker socket (via a thinnish cable), so you can't add an external cab AND use the internal. (So, it's a combo, stupid!)

'Ultrabass' is really a gimmick (see below). If they had to put an effect on, how about chorus (like the equivalent Kustom model)?

The knobs turn very freely - so write your settings down, they will change when you next pick the amp up!

The front grille is backed with foam to avoid vibrations, so you don't see the speaker as in the website pictures.

Overall, you need to remember this is a Chinese-built amp with very little competition at the price.

The sound is pretty much perfect for my needs. Nothing mind-blowingly amazing, but it seems just right with my Peavey 4-string.

It can get noisy, close up at high volumes. But I don't play close up at high volumes. I can hear myself next to the drums (although unfortunately I can still hear the drums).

Its good to have twin channels. I can switch between loud and soft with the footswitch. The 'shape' control is good, I find I can get all the EQ I want using that and leaving the tone controls flat. The EQ seems smooth all the way up the frequencies - no booming notes, tonally well-balanced.

Turning input higher than output gives a bit of compression/sustain, but not the sort of growly distortion which some would like. Out-and-out Rockers may want more, but jazz, pop, dance, MOR, soft-rock is fine.

The Ultrabass thing is an octave divider. But a 12-inch speaker really can't cope with frequencies much beyond the bottom E of the bass. Maybe if you plug an 18-inch trouser-flapper in, you could get something from it. I found that with its slowish tracking rate, the only useful sound I could get from this feature was a 'bass pedals' sound - long sustained notes - but below 'D' it lost audibility. Also you can't get the noes to die away slowly because as soon as the signal dies below the trigger level, the effect stops dead. Hmmm.

And switching the Ultrabass thing in and out can be noisy.

I've had it three weeks, but it seems very solid. The jack sockets are metal, not plastic, on my model (see other review below).

Many dealers around London won't stock Behringer because of reliability problems. (Or is it down to pressure from other vendors? Many music shops seem tied to sales targets which override the consumer's interest.)

Their website is great, but I don't know about real life support

All I've used before are keyboard amps, guitar amps and PA monitors, and in all cases, I just couldn't get the EQ right for the bass. With this combo, it was right from the start. The shape, size, sound and basic features are exactly what I need. I have commented on negative poits above.

Excellent value as a monitor-style combo with PA-out in a non-heavy music setting.

This amp is loaded with features, check out previous reviews. The most useful to me are the twin channels and shape control, the four band equaliser. The ultrabass is not so good - bit unreliable on low notes - comes in and out. Otherwise well put together. I like the solid construction and the monitor/upright styling. The amp has a punchy sound, although seems more like 80 than 120watts. 12 inch speaker adequate, but lacks depth for really low bass... I use this amp basically for practise and smaller gigs, where it is great. Very little distortion at any level. Much better than my friends Fender Bassman 60. Thats a dog compared to this. I love it.

Ok, im using a basic Fender four string and also Yamaha active 5 string bass. Both produce great sounds on this amp. Handles the mid to low range well, very low sounds you need a bigger setup. Very clean sound, almost no distortion at high volumes, a tiny intrusion from the cooling fan, otherwise very little hum. Using the wide range of controls you can produce any sound you want from warm and soft to punchy and sharp for slap. As I said before, hard to imagine this as a 120W amp, more like 80-100W in reality. As versatile as any amp I've ever used, and better than most at higher prices. Its not the sort of amp you are going to use at a full on punk gig, but for general rock, blues etc, its fine. Ive rated it on what it was designed for.

Ive been using this amp for six months now, dragged it out of car boots, up stairs, had lots of different guys use it for jams etc. Its never let me down or shown any defects at all. Solid construction helps. I was worried that it was assembled in China, but if there were bugs they seem to have been worked out long ago. Reading other reviews had me worried for a while, but its been rock solid.

Never had it serviced or any faults

Ive been playing bass for about five years now, this amp replaces my old practise amp and is available for jams and smaller gigs. I love its compact size, punchy clear sound, versatile setup. Beats the Fender 60 and a few others hands down. Im getting it insured quick because I dont want to lose this one.