Product: Behringer V-Amp 2 Price Paid: 129 (euro)
Submitted 11/03/2004
at 01:41pm
by Anonymous
Ease of Use
:9
This is a nice recording tool for every guitarist who can't afford to put his tube amplifier on 11. It's pretty easy to get some decent sounds out of it. A bit harder are things like speaker simulating, live-set-up, noise gate etc, but thanks to a well-written manual this will take you 10 minutes tops. Editing is really easy. Just twist the knobs. It has quite a few banks, and there are 5 different sounds available per bank: A, B, C, D, and E. These are footswitchable. Unfortunately there's a delay of about half an second if you switch to a differnt modeled amp. But since I only will be using this for recording (and live just the effects) won't this be a problem to me.
Sound Quality
:8
I use a PRS Santana SE (mahogany, 2 humbuckers). For solo's, I use the rectifier mode. Sounds quite good. I think it's one of the best sounds. For other stuff I mostly use a Tweed or a Marshall. Still the rectifier is my favorite. I use it for recording, so no amp is used.
The factory presets are quite convincing. The manual refers to famous artists/songs. You will regognize which song the sound belongs to. It's not perfect, but it's good enough for me!
Reliability
:8
Looks reasonable dependable. I think I would use this without backup, since it's not a very important part of my live-setup. The footswitch is really good quality. Dropped it from a metre and a half, there a scratch on the floor but the footswitch looks just as new. Great!
Customer Support
:No Opinion
I never dealt with them. I guess it wouldn't be a very big problem because I live in the Netherlands, which is next to Germany.
Overall Rating
:9
I play rock, hardrock and pop (Bon Jovi, Def Leppard and stuff on the radio). I can get a nice sound for every musical style. I bought this with a Korg PXR-4, for recording, because I didn't like the Korg sounds very much. This V-amp is a really great deal. Just wish that the switching betweens amps would be possible without any delays. That would make it pretty much perfect.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2 Price Paid: N/A
Submitted 11/01/2004
at 12:50am
by Dave Mason
Email: dave_mason at totalise<dot>co<dot>uk
Ease of Use
:9
When I bought this unit, it had obviously been demoed somewhat by somebody in the shop because the settings were all over the place and the presets didn't sound like anything remometely sensible. A quick scan through the manual revealed the 'restore factory presets' option, and I was then cooking on gas. I can't understand why anyone would say this unit is hard to use - it has a few knobs, a few buttons, and all dual functions are clearly labeled on the unit. The LEDs are bright and clear, and compared to other units I have owned suffering from dual function buttons, this thing is a breeze to use. Half an hour with the manual and everything made sense. I give it a nine purely because the manual could be easier to read (perhaps a 'quick start' section would be handy), but I'm used to reading Microsoft programming reference manuals in my day job so I'm not complaining. Editing is easy too - select an amp, select a cabinet, do some EQ-ing and press one button to save your patch. I can't really see how it could be any easier.
Sound Quality
:10
I play an Ibanez RG570. My musical style varies with the weather - everything from acid jazz, funk / disco through to hard rock / instrumental metal when the urge takes me. I expect a lot from my amps - especially in the funk arena. I like a clean tone that really spanks and cuts through the mix. When I go distorted I've always been a Marshall man, but Marshalls truly suck for clean funk tones. This little box is ideal for getting the best of both worlds. I had a very cool clean sound dialed in within about 5 minutes, just a little bit of compression and some minimal eq-ing gave me a sound that I would be happy to gig with and record. A little bit of crunch with the wah pedal sounded awesome for those Shaft riffs. The amp simulators are first class - I'm used to the Roland COSM technology which is pretty junk compared to the quality of this. Cranking up the Brit Hi Gain amp and dialling in a suitable cabinet gave a first-class distorted lead sound, and before I could help myself I was playing Megadeth's Holy Wars. Whoa! This thing really kicks ass. The amps simulations are all very impressive - purists will say that they don't sound exactly like the amps they are simulating (of course they don't - they're simulations), but I really don't care. They are first class sound wise and I don't think anybody in the audience at a gig is going to care whether you're going through a Mesa Boogie or a simulated alternative - if it sounds great (and it does), then it won't matter. What I really love is that you're no longer at the mercy of a sound engineer who a) may not be that good to start with b) may not know how to mic up an amp correctly c) doesn't have time to do the guitar because he's spent 45 minutes trying to make the kick drum sound like a wooden spoon banging off a plastic tub (no joke, I've been there). I've only had it a couple of days but already it has inspired me into actually sitting down and playing for hours on end just for the joy of playing, something I haven't done for years. In summary - great clean tones, great distorted tones, super-easy to use. Other people will be better able to comment on the old vintage tones as that isn't really my bag, but I'm pretty sure there's something for everyone in this box. And for such a low price, I'm truly stunned.
Reliability
:8
If I were to gig it, I would probably build a little protective case for it, as it does seem a little on the light side to stand up to stage abuse. More likely, I would buy the pro rack version. The gig bag it comes with is very good, however, and I would be happy to use it as is for rehearsals, jams etc. It's not a stomp box but as with all gear, look after it and it will be fine. Haven't had it long enough to make an informed judgement but I'm not worried.
Customer Support
:No Opinion
Never had to. My Behringer desk has never failed me so I've never been in touch with them.
Overall Rating
:10
This thing is a great all rounder, and provided you read the manual and spend an hour getting to know it, you'll get some great sounds out of it. I believe that anybody who says the sound of this is poor must either have it in the wrong configuration (e.g cab simulation on, going straight into another amp), have dodgy equipment and / or dodgy ears, or just generally like complaining. Considering the price tag, it really is a no-brainer. I love it.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2 Price Paid: US $120
Submitted 10/29/2004
at 11:50am
by Heirball
Ease of Use
:9
This thing is a piece of cake to use but let me be fair; Im not trying to develop and long list of presets. I have maybe 8 that I use for recording and sessions. I may do a little tweaking here and there as needed. If you can't do it with that, you can't do it at all as far as I'm concerned.
Sound Quality
:8
Currently I use a customer strat with EMG's, a Valley Arts Start (EMG's) and an Ibanez artist with stock pups. My ear has been accustomed to my Marshall Plexi, a Boogie Mark III and Roland JC120 so I think I have a good reference point. Good pups make a huge difference with this unit as they do with any amp.
I don't use this for live work; I only use it for direct recording/sessions since hauling gear is not what I do; I'm a guitar player and get paid for the music that comes out. With that being said, this thing sounds great to me if you know how to work your GUITAR and get the tone out of there first. If you're some young pup looking for a personality in your playing, develop one; don't buy one. I can get the close to the sounds I get live and have fooled musician friends with this thing .(Did you build an isolated room? Oh, its direct?) I do use this in stereo to get the wet and dry sound recorded and usually use the dry sound with the outboard digital effects. ( Sonar,Protools, etc) to get my effects I want. I use the V-Amp effects just for the pure feel/vibe.
Reliability
:8
Studio stuff only; no problemo so far. Sits on a stand for easy access while sitting and playing.
Customer Support
:No Opinion
Haven't had to deal with them.
Overall Rating
:8
I play instrumental ( Beck, Carlton, Miles) write tunes and do live/studio sideman work. This thing is great but you need to know how to wrestle that tone out of your axe first. That's why some people don't like the Boogie MK III, YOU have to develop your tone; there's no preset for it. I'd buy the rack version of this just to make it easier to transport to sessions in the future.
Learn to play your instrument and don't expect the gear to give you talent or tone. If you can play well, you can play well through anything.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2 Price Paid: US $99 on sale
Submitted 10/14/2004
at 03:08am
by MadMordigan
Email: diyguitarprojects at yahoo<dot>com
Ease of Use
:10
A litte more involved than an amp but easier than most rack processors.
32 Amp models (one's a simulated tube preamp for mic's)
15 Cabinet models and though it seems confusing to store patches at first, VERY easy to operate.
Sound Quality
:8
The sound quality is Superb DEPENDING on how you use it. It's wicked plugged straight into the computer or straight into an amp. In my effects loop is isn't great but not bad.
When using it with an amp STAY AWAY FROM YOUR EFFECTS LOOP!!! An effects loop is AFTER your amps preamp. To get a warm rich sound from digital you need to get plenty of clean analog gain. Run it straight in. Guitar -> V Amp -> Guitar Amplifier
One guy says it sounds bad compared to his tube amp and I bet ANYTHING he's using it on an effects loop. Otherwise it's tones would put his amps ONE tone to shame. CLEAN ANALOG GAIN IS CRUCIAL TO SUCH UNITS.
The sound gate is excellent, effects are very warm and fluid like, amp models are quite accurate and the cabinet models top it all off to make it a versatile and priceless tool for home, stage or studio. Distortions are awesome and the cleans are warm and bright. Like a lower gain blues setting? Say maybe an SRV tone?
This does it DEAD ON.
Get a $50 tube pre and you'll see tube amps are going to become even less popular. My only complaint is the lack of highs when you use the cabinet simulators. Some clean analog gain,like a tube pre, cures this.
Reliability
:No Opinion
So far BOTH V Amps I've owned have proven to be quite reliable.
....time will tell.
Customer Support
:No Opinion
Haven't dealt with them other than requesting info. From my experiences and what I've read, they are very reliable and respond quite promptly
Overall Rating
:10
Overall it's one hell of a buy. You can use it with a power amp and a cabinet as another rig or run it straight into a PA. It's incredible for PC recording and will perform even better straight into the board in a studio.
EVERY guitarist should own one. The carrying case and footswitch are basically a bonus. The unit alone is well worth thew $99 I paid.
The ONE thing I wish it had was a circuit to give it some analog gain. They could do it with a tube but even just an op amp or transistor based circuit would do it. I run it through a power amp which I crank the bass and treble on since it's analog. ISSUE SOLVED.
If it were stolen I'd most definitely replace it even though I already own the V Amp Pro. This thing is MUCH more practical. I built a stand for it like the angled back amp stands and my V Amp rack mount looks like it may start collecting dust!
Buy one. It's that simple. If you don't then have fun with the headaches of mic'ing your amps. This is for the MODERN MUSICIAN who is about getting music recorded rather than jerking off to their overpriced $1000 amp.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2 Price Paid: US $130
Submitted 10/13/2004
at 09:45am
by Mike
Email: none
Ease of Use
:9
easy as any amp
Sound Quality
:4
I have been using this unit for more than one year now, and I've come to the conclusion that the sounds that it makes are realative. If I spend time playing thru one of my real tube amps, this unit sounds bad. If I only play thru the Behringer for weeks, it sounds great. The reality is; most consumers of music won't know or care if it sounds good or not. BUT, with that said, I think that alot of the distortion sounds are fine for rythm playing. It sucks hard for lead work. AND the clean sounds blow for everything. (unless you want the highly processed clean sound from 80's metal bands.) I play a custom strat with emg's, a 1973 LP custom and a 1979 the Paul.
Reliability
:5
It's plastic and looks dumb, but should be Ok unless you break it.
Customer Support
:No Opinion
Don't know. Lots of web based "stuff".
Overall Rating
:5
I've been playing for 20 years.
I play just about any style that sounds interesting, but am mostly interested in composing. Currently not in a band. (or I am in two bands, depending on the situation.)
I still plan on working with this thing to see if I can get it to sound as good as my real amps. Note that I don't want it to sound like my real amps. Just to sound good and feel (respond) like an amp should. I have had some degree of improvement in lead tone and feel by running a TS9 into it, but it was still pretty fuzzy in a bad kind of way.
I will still be mic'ing my real amps when I'm doing "real" recording.
(I play Marshall and Sovtek tube amps.)
I sometimes like running pedals into the front of the amps when set both clean and dirty, sometimes just plug straight in with no FX at all. tubes just sound so good.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2 Price Paid: US $139
Submitted 10/07/2004
at 01:23am
by Pat
Email: imagineaz<at>yahoo dot com
Ease of Use
:7
It's not too hard to use; it would have been much easier if Behringer had dedicated a knob to every single thing this machine can do, instead of making us hold down buttons while we twist knobs, which makes it impossible to play and tweak simultaneously without 3 arms :(
The biggest complaint here is that certain settings/combinations can only be accessed via software, and if you set up a computer-only feature, you can't un-set it when away from your computer!
Sound Quality
:10
I play genuine metal, everything from Tristania to Decapitated. I've been using this V-Amp 2 for over a year now, and I feel qualified to judge its ability to play real metal.
I use it in four different setups and I have a completely unique set of patches for each of the four situations to achieve essentially the same sound. The bottom line is: you can get this thing to sound absolutely freakin' brutal, yet warm and crystal clear. I don't try to sound like any particular band, but I think my sound compares favorably to Decapitated's sound on "Nihility" or Dimmu Borgir's sound on "Puritanical...."
It's not ideally suited for use with a high quality guitar amp, as amp modelling is clearly its strength, but it'll make a cheap amp sound great. A friend who heard mine bought a V-Amp Pro for the clean channel on his older Mesa Dual Rec; he uses it for all softer stuff, but he often uses the heavier amp models when he's messing around and I think he's considering using its versatility to add new heavy sounds to his Mesa sound. I play it through my Crate MX65R with amp and cab modelling ON, and everyone who hears it just marvels at the huge, clear crunch.
I'm not qualified to judge the delay, chorus, etc., as I admit that I've never owned any stand-alone effects or any other multi-fx unit, but I sure can't imagine a sound that I can't produce with it. And it just went down in price, so it costs just about the same as any ONE delay or chorus or flanger pedal. As everyone says, the auto-wah is weak, bordering on silly, but I use the V-Amp 2 with the Behringer midi foot pedal, and the ACTUAL wah isn't all that terrible if you use it in conjunction with one of the expression pedals. It ain't great, but it's not too horrible...I use it during my rare solos.
Reliability
:6
The battery can come loose (which means you lose all your presets,) and if you visit the Yahoo users group forum, you'll see A LOT of people have had that problem. When you replace the battery, you can tweak the battery clip a bit to make sure it doesn't come loose again. Mine hasn't come loose since I tweaked the clip several months ago. Other than that, I haven't had any problem with it, but I'd take a backup to gig (I've never gigged) simply because it's plastic and just doesn't feel very robust.
Customer Support
:10
So far, I have had exactly 3 experiences with Behringer US customer support.
1. I called once when my V-Amp 2 seemed to have died on me. The support guy told me the battery had come loose and he told me to tweak the clip. Problem solved easily and quickly.
2. I called for a ROM upgrade. The call took approximately 30 seconds, including wait time and reading my address over the phone, and I had the chip in 2 days!
3. I called for a ROM upgrade to the FCB midi foot pedal. It was another 30-second phone call, and I again had the chip in 2 days.
The support guys sure don't chit-chat with you, but they get you exactly what you want, FAST.
Overall Rating
:9
For metal, including brutal death metal, this sucker sounds really, really good to my ears. I'm completely satisfied. I've played bass and sang lead in metal bands since the mid 80s and I don't remember any single guitar player I've worked with who had a better sound than I have now.
If it were stolen, I'd get a V-Amp Pro or a V-Ampire to replace it. I'm actually planning on getting a V-Ampire anyway, so I don't have to keep moving this one around.
Obviously, price played a major factor in my decision to buy this over a Pod or any other modeller, but I've heard way more Pod users prefer the Behringer sound than V-Amp 2 users who prefer the Line6 sound. In fact, there's a Pod users website that is totally dedicated to praising the Pod, and if you check out the "Competitors" section of the site, the guy actually states that, while scoping out the competition, he came to realize that the Behringer machine sounded better, so he has switched to the V-Amp 2. And now I notice that the site is gone. Maybe he has a V-Amp 2 users site now.
I'd have to say that I wish Behringer would go ahead and make a more expensive machine with a bigger face and dedicated knobs for every single feature and with every single feature and combination available right on the face of the thing (including POWER ON/OFF.) Also, I'd ditch the silly shape and put it in a simple rectangular shell. Plastic is fine for the desktop model, but invest in better battery clips and a better power jack.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2 Price Paid: US $90 used
Submitted 09/27/2004
at 03:08pm
by Anonymous
Ease of Use
:7
If you are editing patches directly on the unit it is easy to do the basics be more complicated for all the features. The labels are fairly clear. Not all the settings are displayed on the unit directly. Using the software is much easier. The manual is limited. The manual suggests to find a preset that is close to what you are looking for and then tweak it to get the sound you like. I found it easier to make a clean sounding setting with no effects and tweak from there.
The footswitch is nice to have but I would have rather had one that inidcated what setting I was on. I play with the unit behind me because I afraid it will get broken if it is on the floor on stage so I cannot tell what setting I am on without turning around. They make a midi control that can be used but it is overkill for what I need.
Sound Quality
:9
Once I played with this thing enough, I could any sound I was looking for - clean or heavy. It can sound great.
For recording, DI, or with headphones it really sounds good. Running it into a guitar amp can sound really bad if you have enabled the cabinet simulator. I found running this into a powered speaker sounds much better. It is designed for full frequency response so it needs something designed to play full frequencies.
The clean channels can be quite good but you have to level the sound between the clean and gain channels via the volume setting. If you use it with the presets the gain channels are 2x as loud as the clean channels.
The effects sound decent. They are not as flexible as a seperate effects but the units strength is in the amp modeling. The delay can sound a little too digital for my taste.
Reliability
:7
I have been gigging with it. Like others have mentioned, it is plastic and does not look too tough. I wish I had gotten the v-amp pro for durability. I have not had any problems but I treat it with kid gloves and make sure it is sitting out of harms way. I would not gig without a backup unless I had the pro.
Be sure to change the internal battery every year or it could go dead.
Customer Support
:No Opinion
Never had to deal with them.
Overall Rating
:9
If it was stolen, I would replace it. For the price it is hard to beat. The fun factor is high because of its versatility. It is not a real amp but it is very close. It does miss some of the nuances of real amps in some cases but then again it cost ~$100. By the way, I still get tons of complements on my tone with this unit.
Personally, I love not having to lug a big heavy amp to a gig. The carrying case is great. Throw that over my shoulder, bring my guitar, and maybe a powered monitor if I do not want to use the house monitors and I am ready to go.
To be fair the v amp2 is designed for home recording and head phones. If you want to gig, the v-amp pro is the way to go. The sound for the money is great. If you want to get into amp modeler, this is the place to start.
I have been playing for over 15 years. Mostly playing rock, blues, and jazz.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2 Price Paid: 257? (?)
Submitted 09/12/2004
at 12:14am
by David
Email: dabi_m55<at>hotmail dot com
Ease of Use
:8
It could be easier to use. You have to make clear what you're changing, because the same knob is used for a few different parameters, but you get used to it quickly. The solution for all these should be a better display (only a 2 digit number can be displayed, while you can see the number, name and value of the preset or parameters on computer screen through midi) where more information about the parameter you're changing could be displayed. Parameters are really easy to change through midi conection, and software makes it really easy to use as you can see everything at once, this is the best way to deal with this machine when programming. The answer is inminent to every change way midi. If you're used to any other effects unit this should'nt be a problem for you to deal with.
Sound Quality
:9
I use it plugged into computer for recording, usually with my yamaha pacifica 821, or my ibanez satriani js100 (usually the first one). I own the v-ampire amp, not the v-amp 2 itseft, so it has a few different posibilities. Much better for recording this one than the v-amp 2 alone. It has 2 (left and right) balanced outputs that really are the direct box (ultra-g gi100) with simulation of cabinet that I've always used in my live performances. And you can change the mode so it has the emulation on-off. So you have another simulation apart from the ones included as cabinets, that is the one I actually use even for recording. There are some other modes which change the kind of signal emited through this connectors with effects, effects only through amp and output clean, etc. Added to this you can turn it to one of the 2 live modes and have another 3 band eq to make the sound fit for live performance. You also have the volume of the amp independent of the output signal on the back connectors (for making feedback while recording for example this is great). The sounds are quite good, I think. I don't know if they really sound like the real amps, and I don't really care. If you like the sound it doesn't matter, and it sounds good for the price. The clean sounds are very good, the reverb is ok and the chorus and delay which are the only effects I use, maybe compressor too. I plugged my boss gt6 to midi in to use it as a pedal controller and I don't like the wah wah at all. I play metal and I think it sounds good, but I recorded with a POD from a friend which I think sounds better but too much expensive. Compared to this one the v-amp sound is darker, I mean the high frequency response isn't too good. But as I'm having it only for a few days I can't say I won't get the sound I want, actually I'm really near to getting it yet.
Reliability
:6
No problems at all with it at the moment only a few days with it aren't enough to say anything abuot it, but it is slow at changing presets. As every digital effects unit it has a time of silent while changing, larger than the korg ax1000g, and of course than the boss gt6, which are the other effects units I own, and the ones I can compare this one with. The gt6 is the best by far in parameter and flexibility, but much more difficult to use and much more expensive, simulations aren't too good for recording if you don't expend lots of time programming.But you really can't compare these two ones. I may take my v-ampire to a live performance if I don't have much space to carry things, otherwise I'll take my gt6, direct box and my marshall. V-amp may be better for recording.
Customer Support
:No Opinion
Nothing to say. No deal with them.
Overall Rating
:7
I play metal (heavy-thrash). I only have used it for recording a solo actually and practise at home and it succeded. I have to try it more time and get deeper, but I'm optimist about it.
Compared to my boss gt6 this is just a toy, but as it's much easier to use and needs few wiring it fits better for recording I think. Compared to my korg ax1000g, it has lots of possibilities due to the connectors (midi, send, return, balanced line out with cabinet simulation, unbalanced line out,...), but korg sounds good too (although you have to take pen and paper to take note of presets as you can't connect it midi). V-amp is the worst for live performance because of the silent interval between presets change, which is the longest of the three, and because the footswith doesn't add an expression pedal. What I like the most is the connection capabilities. Some people complain about the shape of the v-amp but the POD has a similar shape too. It is make of plastic but think that this get the price down (I dont have these problems with the v-ampire actually but I tried a v-amp from a friend too before buying mine). I don't like the sound being to dark (but I'll have to use it more before I can really complain). I bought it for recording. I wanted to have something plugged to my computer all the time with a good sound and the less atmount of wires messing around, and this one was the best choice (quality/price is the best relation). I tried one before buying from a friend, and a POD too. I'd prefer the pod if the price were the same. I wish it came with an expression pedal. I really like the way you can program it using midi and computer. If you're looking for something cheap to record this is your choise, for live performance there're some other better choices. Look for an expression pedal, and take care of the silent time between preset change when looking for live performance, appart form the sound itself, of course.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2 Price Paid: US $120.00
Submitted 09/09/2004
at 03:13pm
by Lucky Mc Nasty
Ease of Use
:10
Purty durn e-zy if yer asken me. I've had it for a while, but have yet to actually program it other than adjusting the ore-sets as I'm playing. I have a half dozen or so fav's and seem o stick to them. If I ever have the time, it would be nice to spend an afternoon delving into the programing.
Sound Quality
:10
Well now....I bought this little gem as one of those dreaded "impulse buy's". I figured I was too much of a tube snob to be bothered with fake sounding V-amps, pods, j-stations and the sort. A friend had just given me a brand new digital recorder he never used, so I decided I might want something to give me a multi-tude of tones without scaring the neighbors. I must say, I am very impressed with the tone and ease of use of the V-Amp. For the money...forget about it! It's a no brainer. If I had paid $500 for it, I might have some bitches about the tone, layout, blah-blah-blah...but for the pittance Behringer charges ( ain't reverse engineering a bitch! ) I have nothing but praise. I don't use all the mega death distortion patches ( even though they are a blast with headphones or run through a little home practice system )as I'm an old fart that plays the blues, but many of the clean / semi clean patches are great. I'm surprised at how well they respond to the guitars volume control. The main thing I use the V-Amp for is to practice into headphones. I can plug my cd player in the the aux and jam along with BB, Freddie, Albert, Merle, Gary Moore, Delbert McClinton, Pink Floyd...whatever mood I'm in. The beauty is I can pretty much nail the tones I'm playing along with. I've played guitar for over 30 years and have an assortment of homebrews, fenders, gibsons and el cheapos. They retain quite a bit of their sonic character run through the V-amp. I've used it live in a small, coffe house type duo setting, but have not had the balls to try it with a band. For what it is....an inexpensive tone tool...it works well. I was never one to actually sit down and practice the guitar, but since the V-amp has come into my life, I find myself longing to don the headphones and play along with a CD. For that alone, I'm happy to have it. I consider it cheap inspiration! The 10 rating I'm giving this takes into account the incredible value the V-Amp represents.
Reliability
:8
Well....as others have pointed out...it's plastic. I don't mind though. I would buy one made of cardboard if it would shave some $$ of the price! I'm easy on my gear. I have several guitars, amps and effects that I bought new 25 years ago that still look and work like new. I've had some problems with it loosing it's factory pre-sets, but it only takes a moment to re-load them.....so, I don't worry about it.
Customer Support
:No Opinion
Overall Rating
:9
My overall rating for this would have to be good. Even though I'm pretty much a guitar, chord, amp player, having 3,000 tones at my fingertips inspires me. I love getting super clean, haunting tones and the V-Amp makes it easy. Nailing tones from Carlton, Ford, Clapton, Gilmore and the three Kings is pretty easy with the V-Amp. Again, for what it is, it has far exceeded my expectations. The fact that I paid less for this than I did for practice amp back in 1986 amazes me. It has made me want to play more and the more I play, the more I learn. Cheap inspiration!
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2 Price Paid: 100 (UK Pounds)
Submitted 08/20/2004
at 04:06am
by Paddy Green
Email: paddy at uberdog<dot>co<dot>uk
Ease of Use
:7
I'm a fool who didn't read the manual for some time... and even without that I was getting some pretty good sounds out of it - now the sounds have just got better - you can work it without the manual, the front panel is nice and clear, but some of the features are pretty well hidden :-)
I found the manual a bit hard to follow, especially since it covers the v-ampire and the v-amp pro as well.
Sound Quality
:9
I've had no problems with the sound quality - we're a (heavy) trip-hop band, and both me and the other guitarist both use the V-Amp 2 - running it directly into the desk, so straight out, and into the monitors. Also, we use a LOT of different sounds (about three different patches per song) and the V-Amp allows us to really cover a lot of ground sound wise.
The effects could probably be better, but for the price they're astounding.
We use the units in the studio (lovely) and we use them live as well.
Reliability
:9
We've had to use them at gigs without backup. I was a little concerned to hear about the internal battery problem, and will make sure I check that out soon. We try to be careful with them, cause they certainly don't look that tough.
One thing that we discovered just as we were about to kick off at the biggest gig we'd played was this: if the power supply isn't plugged in properly, the lights can still all come on but the input/output just doesn't work. This is not a good thing to happen!
Customer Support
:No Opinion
Not had to deal with them, so no opinion.
Overall Rating
:10
For the kind of music we do, the V-Amp is a wonderful piece of equipment - it allows us to make a whole range of sounds with a very small footprint, and it's a whole lot lighter than carrying amps about. It makes home studio recording a whole lot easier as well.
You can hear tunes using it at http://www.uberdog.co.uk, if you want an idea of the kind of sounds we're making with it.
Oh, one real complaint is the general look of the thing - whoever designed that body shell should honestly be stabbed in the neck, but I'm thinking of upgrading to the V-Amp Pro to deal with that by having all the features of the V-Amp 2 in a nice solid rackmount.
Seriously, this is a great bit of kit, and unbeatable at the price - I can imagine it wouldn't suit everyone in a live environment, but for a home studio setup it's absolutely magic.