Behringer HB01

Just wanted to add 2 cents to this products review, and the confusion over what the "optical" circuitry does. It does NOT provide quick response, as someone else had stated. It is there, merely to control the wah's sweep, instead of a usual pot, and this technology is employed on plenty other wahs, as proof, as well.

More options = more time spent tweaking. Either deal with it or get a wah with no knobs.

The switchless feature is the reason I decided to try this pedal out.

The manual is almost entirely useless, but I don't care.

I just got it and haven't had time to experiment with it yet, but it sounded good right out of the plastic. (I'll give it an 8, but it may be better.)

No noise. The transition from active to bypass was smooth for a switchless pedal (better than the original Morley BadHorsie).

Good clean sound, especially with reverb. Also good with BOSS DS-1 or IBANEZ FZ-7 (separately).

Cheap cunstruction makes me doubt this pedal's reliability/longevity. I would definitely get a back-up. However, it is so inexpensive that buying a back-up is not a problem.

I've owned a few of the dunlop original crybaby, a crybaby classic (with fasel inductor), a ThomasOrgan fuzz-wah, a Morley Bad Horsie, a Digitech Whammy-Wah, a reissue Vox, and an Ibanez WH10.
All wahs sound different. I like this one so far...

If this pedal were lost or stolen, I might get another one (not sure yet).
Love: the switchless feature, adjustability, and PRICE.
Hate: the flimsy housing, but at least Behringer priced this thing accordingly.

Just to add to my earlier review just below. The double output lets you take the Wah signal and a raw uneffected signal to two amps or two lines of effects (one with Wah and one with out). You could go to a tuner as well (if the Wah is firs tin the chain). One of the reviewers didn't understand why two outs.

Just to clarify - it is good sound as far as I am concerned

See earlier review

See below

Just bought this and thought I would add my two cents. Some confusion from other reviewers (reading theirs first). The optical concept is supposed to make life easier in that you can engage the Wah right away from the heel down position rather than having to hit a switch at the toe down position and starting your sound off at the high end of the Wah. This is a great thing but not unique to this product. Other companies have versions of this including Dunlop.

The advantage of this unit seems to be that is has the coicing options not found on many other units including the Q setting.

The manual seemed straight forward to me but the reference to boost should not be confused as a separate option to the Wah itself. You get a boos t on the Wah sound not on the signal with no Wah.

I haven't heard any radio sounds (which concerns me if they show up at a gig). The pedal itself does not give me a great deal of confidence in its durability - I took the first back since it did not disengage off the Wah. The second has a nasty squeak (the heel/toe top to the unit shifts from side to side as well as up and down - when it shifts side to side as you rock it, it squeaks - WD 40 did not resolve this)

I do like the sound and the ability to control it to your tone - it comes in real nice and the optical setting lets you blast on and off for tasty effects as opposed to a full on solo with it.

I'm using this through a rack of effects to a Fender Blues Junior amp (at home). I use several Gibson acoustics through my rack so I'm not rating this as a solo effect but as an item I can use in my chain for more rhythm stuff to add nuance to the sounds. I can't rate this as if I was a lead guy but it gives me a better tone than the others I've tired including the Dunlop Q optical and Boss version that has way too much to do to get it engaged.

Some of the other units in the rack include the older Boss C2 chorus, a micro vibe, MXR phase 90, compressor and noise gate, a DOD vibro thang (a good example of a lees "cool" brand thing that works quite well), a TR-2 Boss tremolo, Apex sound enhancer, a Dan Electro echo unit and the V-TONE GUITAR GDI21 and V-TONE ACOUSTIC ADI21 units from Behringer (both of these seem fine but quality issues for survival are again a question).

The key to my rack is to be able to bring on some thrills or tones that keep things moving from the traditional folk singer songwriter dude sound. I don't play harmonica so I can't use that as a balance from strumming along. I use the tones from the rack instead to have some of my songs come off differently than just a set of full acoustic sounding folk songs with no lead or harmonica for solos.

A bit of trem and vibe here and there goes a long way in cutting through the evening of other folkies who play pure. I also add in sound bits and bites (a la Roger Waters/Floyd) for parts so it sounds pretty full for a one man player.

I've tried out hundreds of pedals to arrive at the order and the ones that stuck usually have a tonal quality that works best with the Gibsons - I'm sure I would be reviewing differently if I were using the electric. Recently the whole distortion thing became an issue when not going through my tube amp and into the board(s).

Most of the units that rock for distortion do real well with a tube but not so well direct into the board. The Behringer GUITAR GDI21 does a good job here in giving you the option for less sustain (which sounds better) through the board.

The whole idea of distortion through an acoustic may drive some of you crazy anyway but, if you've seen the David Gilmour DVD on his solo show you can imagine what I'm talking about and trying to do. He is able to let his acoustic do some great stuff out of the norm and always come back to a pure sound when it fits. That's my aim in a nutshell and I'm getting pretty close to what I want and having it sound the same in any venue.

I am not making my living doing this but I perform at places around town and open stages a lot.

I think the reliability side is where the unit will suffer. It can't compare to the Dunlop in this area and that's where the pricing is reflected most. You get what you pay for here and I would not expect this to last very long on hard treatment. I'm not sure I'm going to keep it because of the squeak I mentioned earlier. I'm also not sure it won't end up like the first one with the on/off not working at the heel. I'd pay more for this Behringer to get more quality on this side of the coin. I'm not happy with its construction at all from a strength view.

Haven't used them directly since the store handles warranty etc. I will be deciding in a few days whether to return it or not.

When playing solo and with my acoustic I'd describe my use of effects as enhancers of the tone. I don't like to play all my set with the same pure acoustic sound so I bring on some trem or echo or chorus or distortions at times in some songs just to vary things up. The Wah helps add some spice on a few of my songs. So what I do could be described as acoustic rock. When playing with more guys I wouldn't use the Wah - leaving that to my lead guy to deal with. So I make the point that I'm rating this as a tool to give some variety as opposed to a traditional use of the Wah in a solo by an electric guitar. It is very handy to have the optical on/off for the way I want to use it. I have also tried the Morley optical Bad Horsie and did not like the tone of that at all. I tried a tech 21 unit as well as an original Dunlop -= both with switch on/off. That switch at the toe just made what I wanted to do not possible.

So, if you are desiring an optical on/off, it might be worth trying this out - especially for home recording. I do predict, though, you will end up with a repair if you use it hard while gigging. If you take care of your stuff in the sense of packing it up well and safely and only use it once and a while in your rig - I think it will be ok.

As soon as you open it up and hold it you will see the difference in weight and quality to the Dunlops. It's very light and I mention again that the price is the reason for the difference in feel. The Dunlop does give confidence that it will last just the way it feels. The Behringer does not. But we are looking at almost a 150 dollar difference. It is only natural Behringer compromised on something to get to the 50 buck range. I say the sound of the Behringer is more what I want and the adjustable range (for closer to bass) is what does the trick. So I'm pleased about the sound aspect.

I mainly wanted to give it a try since their newer products including their Direct box akin to the Sans Amp, seem pretty good - not great quality again but certainly great sound.

I also note that I've had switches on 300 plus dollar pedals go bad on me so I'm not entirely convinced a cheaper priced unit will go bad any more often than an expensive one. Two Micro Vibes, a Tone bone, an APEX acoustic booster and Boss A/B switch have broken on me and I'm not rough at all on these. Most of these were new or just new when the switch went. Everything but the Boss cost over 200 dollars. So, I'm starting to figure out that the "name" brand (or, shall we say, the more "cool" brand is not always a guarantee that it will last or function well.

I'm rating a little lower than I would if I had this longer and it survives. There is that annoying squeak!!!!!

pretty easy to use provided you arent crippled. stomp on it and it goes. the timer adjust switch is in an awkward spot, but itd be a nightmare to accidentally change it to something weird during a gig, so i guess thats a good thing.

i play a USA strat w/single coils and a sovtek midget 50 i modded to be a bit fatter and angrier. you can get some pretty huge wah sounds out of this, its just a matter of tweaking the knobs to where you like best (as always). it is a very versatile wah because of all the q and fine tune knobs. i didnt really like the taper of the wah sweep, so i cracked it open and had a look inside. the sweep is controlled by a light shining through a slit that gets progressively larger, then opens right up. i strategically stuck a bit of tape in there, and i find it to be much better. compared to the other major wahs, this is a COMPLETELY different beast, so dont compare, just enjoy it for what it is. on another note, you sorta get a faint crackle when you nudge it with your foot. not a big issue, just i thought a little weird. also, you get radio stations, but this can depend on where you are standing at the time, if an area is susceptible to interference.

it is made out of sturdy plastic, and the bottom plate could probably stop a bullet. the inside looks fairly secure, but there are some parts (the piece that controls the wah sweep) that are made out of what looks like thick cardboard or stiff foam, so over time, things could potentially go wrong. it wont last as long as your vox, but who cares, go buy another 5.

never dealt with them. i hear they are very good, but thats only because so many people send their stuff back...

i find this very good for the price. it does the job, and until i get a 3 record deal with a major label, and have a few world tours lined up, i think it will stay in my chain before it gets traded in for a clyde mccoy.

Behringer have taken a very close look at the DB-01 Jim Dunlop Crybaby from Hell and pretty much ripped it off, which is pretty much atizzied up 535q anyhow. It is pretty easy to use, just dial in your sound and whack away with your foot. The manual sucks. I would call it more a page of parts descriptions in poor English rather than a manual. It is of no help in getting sounds and in many cases , plain wrong. ie the robber knobs under the front of the rocker is the on/off switch? Uh, no rocking it forward 2 mmm is the on switch and the home position is the off switch. Boo to Behringer for this. Howsabout a few tips on getting some good sounds? On how the dials intract? On how to get a chili peppers wah, a metallica wah, a hendrix wah... I could go on. One piece of paper with part descriptions is weak and seems rushed - cost savings or nay. But Behringer manuals are often crap, so I guess this is atradition

I am using a Mexi Strat with a JB single bucker in the bridge with a Vox Valvetronix 30 watter. In my chain I have 1. Bad Monkey 2. HB01 3. Boss Flanger. Pedal has no real noise probs, unless the BM is dimed obviously. Doesn't seem to suck tone but what would i know. I know it aint true BP though, cos i hooked it up sans battery and there was a weak farty noise going through. Pedal has two outs that i don't really understand, i is effect and the other is effect out/2 bypass...apparantly it is hardwired to the input? If anyone can explain I would welcome your input. Re the Sound: all the wah bases are covered pretty well, as well as a bit of high end adjustment, Q control and a setting from Bass to High and squawky. Also the Boost can drive the amp into distortion when wah-ing into a cleanish channel which sounds sweet.

Weeeeeeell... it is plastic... but hard plastic, I have only had it a few days, but I doubt it would last 10 years like a vox or Cry Baby.... The switch and mechanism is optical however, so at least it won't go scratchy. Hey - it cost $70 aust - thats the price of 2 CD's buddy, so quit your bellyachin.

N/A

Ok so overall I am happy with good bang for the buck, but let me stress i have played guitar for many a year but I am a Wah newbie. As this was my first Wah, I couldn't see the point of paying 300 - 400 Aust for a pedal I would use for 3 mins a show tops. This seems to have all the sounds I need, but there are a few issues. 1. The alleged "resistance adjustment" screw is an allen key in a weird spot, and even if you tighten the living shit out of it it makes no real difference to the pedal resistance.... ok maybe 2 percent more resistance. 2. When you let go it springs back into the off position quite rapidly. To counter this they have a micropot adjuster that changes the amount of time the pedal stays operational after hitiing the home position - ie a virtual spring setting...still with me... I wish you could disable the spring altogether to be able to leave it in a certain position al la Knopfler etc. Once you are used to it is no biggie.3. It doesn't seem to have much travel, so you have to be subtle with your fooring, but again , I have limited wah experience.
If it was stolen or lost i would probly get another, as I could afford 4 more before i had gotten a dimebag... but thats just me, a cheapskate, it personally hurts me to spend more than $100 aust on anything that isn't a guitar or amp. So that strobostomp is going to have to wait...

It's a Wah!! Just wiggle your foot on it, and it does what it's supposed to do.
The pedal can be tweak in different ways with the freq, boost and timer options. Though i don't quite understand why the timer option has been placed, so you need a very little screwdriver to adjust it?? Seems weird to me, since all other parameters can easy be adjusted with your fingers.
One importent note for thoose of you out there thinking it works like the fuzz crybaby. The BOOST option CAN NOT funktion on its own. The boost option is only working, when the WAH filter is active, meaning this is not at 2 in 1 pedal!!

I give it a 7 because even though it has alot of options, the timer adjust is not very accessibel and the boost does not work when wah isn't active. I have prior to this tried Dunlop Crybaby, Dunlop Fuzz Baby, Digitech GNX4, TC-Electronic G-Major. It's easyer to use, than Digitech and TC-Electronic. But the Dunlop series is more simple and works without a problem!

Quality i excellent. I think it's just a matter of sonic signatures, making the differens. Like the Wah from Dunlop and Digitech, and now the Behringer. Unlike the Dunlop, this works very well with Bass. I'll give it an 8. I don't now what, but i feel like it is missing something, but the hellbabe, can't be beaten at it's price range.

Hard plastic. Bottom is Metal. I have unscrewed the bottom plate to look inside. Very simpel. Almost all chords are glued to the inside board. Guess you'll loose your garanti if you fiddle with the inside boards :-) It's different from most any other Wah i have tried, in the fact it is engage optically. No footswitch. This makes sure you does as, with the Dunlop wears up the resistance for the pedal - Don't know if any of you ever tried a Wah where the pedal keeps falling down by it self? But i can't say how good the spring is holding the pedal op. Only time will tell.
Since it's new on the market, i can't rate it. But i would have seconds thoughts regarding using it on a stage - even without a spare.

Never had problems with Behringer. Once should have a new firmware to an ultracurve. The shipped one for free to me. I havent had any unpleasent moments with Behringer support, so i'll give them a 9 (don't believe in 10 unless it's extreme service ;-) )

Great Wah, if you don't like using boards, but wan't an cheap good Wah with easy "hands on" options. Great wah for Bas. Can proberly be a little difficult to use the first times if you are used to Dunlop Wah because it's optically controlled. As i stated ealyer. Nothing wrong with the pedal. Let your ears be the judge for wheter or not, you'll buy this one. Overall i'll give it a 9 because of the price/perfomance ratio.

I just got this wah pedal (HB01 "Hellbabe") today and this review will be my 1st reaction to the pedal ... I bought this pedal based on the specs listed on Behringer's website and no store where I lived had this pedal, Guitar Center didn't even know about it, so I bought the pedal off the internet.

The pedal has these features:
- Multi-function wah
- Spring back mechanism with resistance adjustment.
- Heel down frequency range (440 Hz to 250 Hz)
- Fine tune control for high end extension of sweep range
- Q control (6 areas)
- Tuneable Boost with on/off switch
- Dual LED (wah on/off and boost on/off)

Has one input and two outputs and the knobs are (Boost, Q, Fine and Range). The pedal will run off a 9 volt or adapter.

The pedal is simple to use as a regular wah, but the hardest part is turning the pedal off. The pedal does not have a switch in the toe area. The pedal is operated with an optical control to turn the wah on and off. To turn the pedal on you just have to step on it, to turn it off I found that if I slightly tap it it will turn off (sometimes).

The LEDs are a nice touch but they are in the back of the pedal and I could not see them very well while using the pedal.

To test the pedal I used a Fender American Standard Telecaster and a Epiphone Dot through a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe amp. No other pedals added for the test.

The pedal in bypass mode was very clean ... no different in sound, A+.

The pedal when first stepped on (using the Telecaster) it made a few static noises then cleaned up ... I wasn't sure if it was the Telecaster or not so I switched the Dot after awhile). The wah sounds are useful and you could get a nice range of wahs (it did better than a MMFX wah I had a few years ago). I still like my standard Dunlop Crybaby but this pedal does have a few sounds that are a little different.

In some modes I used (using different settings) I was able to pick up radio stations which is not a good thing ... but they weren't loud but I did hear them coming through the speaker.

The pedal is made out of a hard plastic ... ALOT sturdy than other plastic pedals (Daneletro mini pedals).

I own a few other Behringer things and I've never had a problem with any of them.

With the price of this wah you could easily afford to buy 2.

I would practice alot more with the pedal before I used it out on a gig (to make sure I can turn the pedal off when needed).

I've never had to use them.

This wah is a nice pedal for the price and also a great bang for the buck. The wah also works great with the bass guitar. I already owned a 90's Dunlop Crybaby and it works fine and I've never had a problem with it but the price of this wah made me curious and I'm always interested in newer ideas for effects (even though some of these ideas of Behringer's have been around now for a few years).

I've been playing guitar now for well over 10 years and play lots of styles of music (gospel, classic rock, blues, etc.) and I own lots of gear (14+ guitars, 5 amps, 20+ pedals, etc.).

For the price of this wah it would be great for a 1st wah or even for some recording studios (if you an tune the radio stations off ... which is easy, just turn a knob more to the left or right and they dissapear).