Behringer V-Amp 2

This unit is very easy to operate if you're used to a POD. Very similar in a lot of ways. The Vamp2 is even easier, because the LED's let you see exactly where the knob positions are for the various presets. Editing patches is as easy as storing your favorite radio stations in your car stereo. The manual is strictly business, unlike Line 6's manual, where it seems like they pat themselves on the back on every page. I swear, if I have to read how Line 6's engineers were strung out on caffiene one more time I'll puke.

Let me start by saying I currently own a POD 2.0 and the Vamp 2, and I have to say the sound quality on the Vamp is superior in every way to the POD. The sounds are much cleaner, and distortions are much more tube sounding and sponge-like than the POD. The effects are also top notch to my ears. The reverbs in specific, are very crisp and lush. I never use the reverb on my POD (It only has 2 to choose from) but now I know why. I'm using my Ibanez RG570 with stock pickups with both units, and it sounds great. My only complaint is that the distortions on the Vamp are very similar sounding, but with some minor tweaking you can get very diverse sounds. The only effect I don'y care much for is the rotary effect. I'm sure someone willfind a good use for it, but it's very subtle and thin. I mainly play hard rock/metal and this unit works very well for that style. I must say that the clean sounds on the Vamp are so good, that I've found myself messing around with a lot of the clean patches.

As everyone here's already stated, the Vamp has a plastic case. I really like the POD's metal case, but I guess if you were to drop either of them something would break either way, but it just gives you a little better peace of mind knowing the POD's a little heavier duty when it comes to construction. I've never had an issue with realiability on my Vamp yet, and mine's been on 24hrs a day since the damn thing has no on/off switch.

I e-mailed Behringer twice upon hearing about the Vamp2 release, and each time I recieved a response from my server that it was rejected. Maybe thier email handler was down or something, but I used a link right from thier site. From what I hear they're pretty easy to work with once you get a hold of them. So far I can't comment, but I'll give them a 7 for their email response.

I only bought my Vamp as an alternative to new sounds to record other than my POD. I really didn't expect much for the price but I have to say that I'm truly blown away! This unit sounds MUCH MUCH better than the POD. Although the POD was the first on the scene, there came a time when I just got tired of the sounds the thing made. The effects on the POD were all thin and lifeless. I only used it for one distortion, and even that got old after a short while. Every time I use the Vamp I'm finding new sounds. I really like the auto-wah effect, and find that you can really sound like you're using a wah pedal based on your picking dynamics. I've used other (Boss) auto wah's before, but this one sounds better to me. I really wish Behringer would come out with a rack mount version, or come out with a mount bracket like the POD. In fact, I really wish Behringer would just make the unit in a more conventional shape, as my only real complaint (Other that the on/off switch) is that the shape of the unit makes routing wires a real mess. I would really contemplate using this live, but finding a way to mount it somewhere close, but not making it an eyesore is nearly impossible. The power cord is not a standard 9 volt type, so if you loose it it would appear you're screwed. One last gripe, like the POD, if you want to access different cabinets, effects, and amp models you have to hold down a key while you press others. At least on the POD you can push the Tap Tempo and Manual buttons together and then go about you're business. Why don't either of them just make a "Shift" key that you hit once a forget about it? If this unit was stolen I would beat the bastard with his own blah, blah, blah...ad nauseum. At the price these are sold at I have really thought about getting another one as a backup. For $129 you get a unit that sonically blows away any other multi-effects unit made right now, you get a footswitch, and a carrying case!!!!!Anyone who gets a POD instead of this thing is a fool with a lot of money.

This thing is really easy to figure out. Spend 5 minutes tinkering, and 5 minutes more with the manual to explain what you missed in the first 5 minutes. The manual is pretty weak on effect parameter explanation, but ultimately your ears will be your guide anyway.

The "guitar" shape is kind of cheesy, and it has the unfortunate effect of spreading out your inputs & outputs all over the unit. The case is plastic so there is not much weight to hold the thing down on a desk - which becomes a problem when your guitar, headphones, l/r outputs are all tugging on the unit. Drop at your own risk.

The footswitch is in a metal case - go figure.

On the plus side - the LED rings around the knobs are great - they even show up as two lights when you're at a xx.5 setting. Reverb is separate from the rest of the effect mix which is also great. I HATE TAP TEMPO for setting chorus,phase and flange rates!

First of all let me say that I'm spoiled by my Line 6 AX2 - which the v-amp2 is not. I bought it primarily to take along with a cheap guitar to practice with when boredom encroaches into vacation time. I plan to record some with it also.

After twisting and turning and experimenting with several guitars, the v-amp can be made to sound decent. The classic clean (JC120 model) is very nice, and some of the high gain models are good for soloing. I have yet to find a model that rings with true tube-like sounds for rhythm work though. I'm no tube snob - my AX2 NAILS the high gain marshall sound for rhythm. It seems the high gain amps have just a little too much of that zoom505 buzzy-guitar-thru-a-kazoo quality about them. Time will tell.

Oh and I almost forgot, It's kind of obvious, but because the v-amp is primarily a headphone/recording unit you WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GET THAT WONDERFUL MELODIC NOTE DECAY FEEDBACK that you can get with a "real" amp w/speakers. I miss it already. (my dog does not)

Have not dealt with them yet.

I play some Rush, various & sundry 80's metal, & some original stuff. Been at it off and on for 20 years. For lead & clean this little gem is worth the bucks. Maybe after more experimentation the rhythm "sound" will surface.

The packaging is first rate - nice little bag with room for the footswitch, adaptor, and a small pair of headphones, if you cram 'em a little. No power switch on the unit though, which makes you plug in the adaptor to the v-amp and THEN into the wall. The manual says doing otherwise could damage the unit. Hope I don't forget....

First of all, realize that some reviewers have not even read the instructions and don't know how to use the Vamp2, so they of course get a bad sound. Some seem to have plugged the unit into their guitar input on their amp without bypassing the amp modeler in the Vamp2. This is sort of like running a Marshall Stack through a Marshall stack(or any other amp). Of course it sounds muddy! Also, the presence control is off on some of the patches for some reason and this needs to be on with the presence control turned up all the way to get the most in-your-face sound. Otherwise, it will sound muddy. The Vamp2 can be used for other things, but it is designed mostly for recording and with a good pair of headphones, it sounds unbelievable. For the price, the sound you get is so close to sitting in a studio control room, monitoring a $2,000 amp, miked perfectly, it really is rediculous. This stuff didn't exist even 5 years ago, so take advantage of it and stop "nitpicking" and looking for problems. Yes, it is imperfect. Didn't you notice, so is everything else in the world, including high end tube amps!

The Vamp2 is fairly easy to use. You have to hold down the tap button and rotate a knob at the same time to access some additional amps and controls. That is a bit awkward. There are really a lot more patches than you need, but that is generally a good thing unless you spend more time creating cool sounds than playing guitar! The factory settings are good in general. To listen only to the amp with no reverb or effects, simply turn those dials to 0 and then add to that after you find your sound. The manual is adequate but not perfect.

I use a Yamaha SG700S into a MAudio Omni Studio with Sony MDR-V600 headphones for recording into my computer. I use a Hughes & Kettner Tour Reverb half stack amp for a live sound with the Vamp2 going through the effects loop. It does have a delay when switching patches, and can be a problem if you have to have two different amp sounds in one song when playing live. The unit is pretty noisy when using high gain settings and even with the noise gate turned all the way up, you can still hear the noise for a split second after playing a dirty sound and then muting the strings. I returned the origanal Vamp because it did this and then found out the POD and POD Pro

($600!!) also do this. But it really doesn't matter for me anyway. I can edit it out after recording it on my computer anyway. The main thing is it gets a a huge, awesome tube amplifier sound. The effects are usable and pretty rich sounding. For $130, it is a 10. I prefer it over the POD 2.0 regardless of price. The POD Pro is still better though, especially with the digital outs, but don't waste your $ unless you're rich. And don't get a J-Station or Genesis 3 because of their digital outs. They still sound tiny and flat compared to POD's and Vamp's.

Seems reliable, and since it is so cheap, buy another one so you can have a backup and still spend less than on a POD. There is no on/off switch, and that annoys me. The manual warns to NEVER plug the cord into the wall first and then into the Vamp2 because it could damage it. That seems like a bad design....

I have no experience with Behringer customer support.

I play alternative/modern rock and I like big, lush sounds(not just loud). The Vamp2 gives me a ton of huge, musical sounds. Try some of the different reverb setting with the reverb turned up all the way. That is NOT the sound of a $130 guitar proccessor! Yes, I would buy another one and I plan on getting another one anyway to be able to play two amps at once(the Genesis 3 does this, but those are stil 2 crappy amps at once!). When I stop playing with all the dials and just rock out, I can really be inspired because of the sound it produces. The bottom line is, the Vamp2 is second only to the POD Pro and if it had digital outs, it would be very close. So if you can, stop reading my babbling and go to a Mars or Guitar Center or whatever you have and compare how it sounds to the others. It is a big difference.

It's pretty easy to use if you know whatkind of sound you want, just turn the knobs.

I have Jackson PS-6t guitar, Ibanez Smash Box and Marshall Lead 100 Mosfet head.

The sounds on this thing are great... except the High gain modellings. When I first got it I thought they were amazing, but after a while I noticed that they are a bit muddy if you play with an amp, if you use a PA (or perhaps a decent power amp) it sounds ok. The biggest problem why I can't use it live is that it has a short delay when you change the patch. Live I'm planning to use V-Amp2 only as an effects unit, bypassing the preamp. It works fine that way and doesn't have a delay when changing the patch.

Well no reliability problems from my point of view...

I play nu-kinda-metal, so I was dissapointed when the High gains didn't work for me. The other models rock! I love it when I wanna play some rock, punk or blues. If you want good tube models buy this, if you want high gain distortion, try something else.

This unit is very simple to use. I pulled it out of the box and plugged everything in. I was editing my own sounds within 10 minutes. Everything is marked pretty well and the manual seems to be pretty easy to understand.

So far I have mostly used this with headphones. It actually does a pretty good job of making them sound good. Anybody who has ever owned a rockman or any similar unit can tell you that it is very hard to get a natural amp sound with headphones. I tried it plugged straight into Carvin X60 1x12 combo and it sounded like crap so I tried plugging it in stereo through two amps and it still sounded sorta processed. I then tried plugging it through the effects loop of both amps and suddenly it sounded killer. This unit is aimed at recording or listening through headphones which both pretty much try to reproduce a flat frequency response. If you run it through anything that colors the sound it will affect the quality. I don't think this is really a drawback but if you want the best sound it is definitely worth some tinkering. The speaker simulater does quite a good job of changing the sound of the models but it doesn't really sound like the speaker size that it emulates. It is still very useful for getting a variety of sounds though. The effects aren't very adjustable but they already sound more professional than your average stomp box that costs more than this whole unit. The sound is not perfect but this thing costs about 130.00. I don't see how anybody could complain about anything on it for that price. I started playing about 16 years ago. My first amp was a 10 watt gorilla with an 8 inch speaker. I had to buy a boss distortion pedal just to make the sound bearable and even then it sounded like a buzz saw.(which at the time I thought was a good thing) It really amazes me that even beginning guitarists can have a professional sounding peice of equipment for around the same price as my first amp.

I haven't had it long enough to know if it is reliable or not. I have heard other people say that they wish it was made of metal like the POD but in my experience with metal units, they don't look good for very long. I actually prefer the plastic. I wouldn't use anything for a gig if I didn't have a backup because anything can and will happen if you aren't prepared.

I've never dealt with the company before. I would guess that them being so far away could present some problems but I can't say for sure.

I play alot of classic rock and 80's metal. It sounds great for either and from playing around with the presets I see that it could be used for alot of different styles. I have been playing for 16 years and I have used alot of gear. I have had several tube amps and for me I think they are highly overrated. I bought my first Marshall half stack and couldn't wait to get home only to find out that it sounded like shit and needed a good pedal in front of it. More recently I have really gotten into the modeling amp fad and I have to say that I can't bash any of the equipment I have tried. I now have a Line 6 half stack and a Jonnson Millenium and they are both excellent. I would have to say that the Behringer does a very good job of competing with both of them and it costs 10 times less than either of them. If it were lost or stolen I would definitely get another one just for recording. I think I have already said all the things I do like about it but there are some things that I don't like. Why on earth didn't they add an on and off switch? How hard would it have been to add something simple like that. I would have figured that this being the second version of the V-Amp that they would have heard enough complaints the first time. Also, I know they wanted to compete with the "POD" but I would like to see a rackmounted version of the V-Amp. Small complaints aside, I have to say that it is impossible to compare it to anything in it's price range because it totally obliterates anything close to it's price.

It doesn't get any easier than this. Everything is well labeled and configured. The lights for position indicators is priceless... way better than my POD2. Not much you could do to make it easier other that a large display with names for the cab sims and reverb types instead of numbers you need to look up.

First off let me tell you what pre amps I have used in the past so you have a good idea of my comparisons. I have had a 2101 artist, Carvin Quad (tube), POD2, and currently a Tech21 PSA-1 (great unit). This Vamp2 is a great sounding unit. I bought it (from Guitar center) because I needed a cheap solution for quick recording and have some of their other equipment which I really liked. I expected it to work OK. I was blown away buy the sounds that come out of this unit. The amps sims are really good the cab sims do a great job of changing the sound like you think they might, and the effects sound great. This is by far the best $129 I have ever spent. This thing is way better than the POD on many levels. Let me list them for you: Price... half as much and twice as good, the indicator lights are the way to go, you not only have independent reverb but you can also choose from 15 different types, the effects sound way better, the amp sims are at least as good and in may cases better, etc. Now for the cool stuff the POD doesn't even offer: Multiple configurations which are super useful... you can set it up to be just an effects processor, send one dry signal and one wet for recording, one for monitors one for the board, more. It has an auxiliary in with volume control for head phone jamming with your favorite CD. A nice case and footswitch. Obviously I am happy with my purchase.

Don't know

Don't know

As you can see I really like this unit. It is easy to use, has some great features and flexibility and sounds great. Much more than I expected for $129. It is kind of like going to a movie you didn't expect much from and coming away really liking it. As with the other Behringer gear I have bought there is a lot of bang for the buck here.

Let me start out by saying that Behringer has done what other companies should have been doing all along... offering free updates and upgrades for their products. I have upgraded my original V-amp to the V-amp 2. Because Behringer posted the firmware update for free on the web, I was able to find someone to program me an updated chip for $10. I was able to install the new chip with no difficulties, and I am VERY pleased with the new sounds. Also, you can download an editor for free from Behringer so you can program, store, and share presets. Behringer is definitely a class act, and has truly fulfilled the meaning of customer service.

Most of the essential parameters have their own knob, and most sounds can be simply dialed in without looking in the manual and scrolling through parameters.

A 10 you say? Yes, I'll give it a 10! While nothing is perfect, this V-amp delivers more than it's 130 dollars worth.

I bought the V-amp for recording purposes. In this role, the V-amp works terrific. All of the amp presets have a distinctive sound, and are useful. Depending on your style, you may not use all of the different amp models, but it is nice to have 32 to choose from.

I really did not care for most of the presets that came preprogrammed on the V-amp, but I was able to quickly dial in my own settings, and save them. I usually don't use much in the way of effects, but the effects on the V-amp are useful.

One feature that I really love is the fact that the reverb is totally separate from the effects. The reason for this is not totally obvious to some people, so I'll explain why this is such a great feature. EVERYTHING you hear on CD's, TV, and the radio has reverb. Reverb is absolutely necessary, without it, NOTHING you record will sound right. In my book, reverb is not an effect, it's an essential. Getting the reverb you want is much easier when you can simply twist it's own knob, without having to punch a button and scroll through parameters.

I have had no problems with my V-amp, and the upgraded chip has worked fine. Only time will tell...

I have already told you how much I like Behringers approach. Manuals, upgrades, and sofware are all available online for free. Also, for the 130 bucks, they include a gig bag and footswitch. I've had no troubles with my V-amp, or the upgrade, so I can't comment on their repairs. I can tell you this, if it works for a year and then fries, I will have gotten my money's worth out of it. If it were stolen, I would buy another one.

The only complaint I have about the V-amp is it's guitar shaped case. It looks really groovy, and is fine for the studio, but it is a real hassle when playing live. The cords stick out of it from every direction, and there is no way to mount it in a case. One could make a bracket to mount it to a mic stand, but it would still be cumbersome. It would be nice to see a rack mount version, or maybe a footpedal style version.

All in all, you won't find a better value than this $130 dollar V-amp. Considering that the updates are cheaply and easily done, you won't feel cheated when the V-amp is updated. The included footswitch and gigbag are icing on the cake.

Thanks Behringer!

Its very easy to get great tones from the VAMP2.I was initially dissapointed because I coudn't find tones that I liked but after changing cabinet models,I was in heaven!The default cabinet model on almost all the patches seems to be the Custom V Amp 4X12 cab.And that sounds a little harsh to my ears.

Editing is pretty easy.Once you get the hang of it,you'll be able to change things around real quick.

The manual isn't too good however.Everything you need is in there but I felt that they could have made it a lot better.

I'm using a Strat style guitar and an Ibanez RG570.The amp models are extremely realistic.

One major complaint I have is that some of the high-gain models are noisy as hell.Turning the noise gate up cuts the noise but you tend to lose responsiveness.

I listen to all kinds of music but for the most part,I'm into jazz,fusion and progressive rock.Some of my favourite lead guitar tones are - Greg Howe,Allan Holdsworth,Scott Henderson,Brian May,SRV,Yngwie Malmsteen,Blues Saraceno,Richie Kotzen.

Its possible to get very close to these tones if you fiddle around with the amp,cabinet and eq.

The eq. is kinda weird because its not independent of the amp model.So if you select a Fender Bassman,the eq. for that acts very differently from that of a Mesa MarkIIc.Also,the presence control greatly affects eq. response.

The FX are very good.I generally stick to just a little reverb and delay just to flesh out the sound a bit.I also use some chorus and echo for my "80s ballad" songs.

I don't know about the reliability.I think there are some problems with the knobs on my unit.Some of them turn very smoothly while others are kinda stiff.Also theres some noise when I turn the knobs.

I haven't personally dealt with behringer before.I bought this unit from www.8thstreet.com and their service is excellent

This product is definitely inspiring.You have so many great tones to play around with and once you get going,you lose track of the time.

This is an update to my previous posting.

After spending more time with this unit I was able to get some exellent clean tones as well as superb rock sounds. In fact I was able to get better note definition than on any other digital equiptment I've owned.

Some of the effects are not that great to my ear,like the auto-wah, however I feel if you get a few exellent tones that's about as good as it gets---It's better to have one great sound than ten mediocre ones. And besides this thing is very inexpensive!

As for Joern, who had a problem with noise when using reverb, maybe it was his unit as the reverb on mine is fine. In fact I use the ultimate room reverb and turn it from half to three quarters up on most stuff.

I originally rated the sound an eight but after jamming more with it I must upgrade it to a nine. This is thru headphones(as that's what I bought it for) I have a bunch of those practice CDs with backing tracks for guitar and must say with one of those plugged in you can Rock with this Box!

You might be able to spend ten, or thirty times, as much on other modeling/effects units but I doubt you are going to get all that much better tone.

Buy this unit, practice your chops, and save up for a nice tube amp for ultimate live tone.

Fairly easy to use, about right actually--with some digital stuff it's
too much work and you spend a lot of time and still can't achieve the sound you want.

I am using a Les Paul with Dimarzio super Distortion in the bridge. Some of the factory presets have the noise gate set a little too low so there is some noise, however if you raise the gate and then store your new setting it should be fine. I was able to eliminate most noise and still sustain a note for over ten seconds.

I bought this as a practice tool to use through headphones and that's how I am reviewing it. I ran it into my tube amp and it was a little thin but still quite useable. However for rocking along with a CD, ran ran in the adjustable Aux. imput, it sounds good. I was not able to get as good of clean sounds as Distortion but I don't play clean much anyway. It was fairly easy to tweak in a decent classic rock tone.

Now if you expect this little $129 unit to sound like a great tube amp well it ain't gonna happen. In fact there are people who complain about their Eventide and Lexicon digital guitar amp sims and some of those units run into the thousands of dollars.

Have not tried recording it yet so can't say about that.

Have not owned it long enough to say.

I have owned the upper end digital stuff by Digitech, Johnson, Line 6 ect. and just tried out the Hughes and Kettner Zentera. I think anytime you digitize a signal you lose a little punch and sizzle. However as a practice tool I think this is a pretty good unit and think most people should be happy with the V Amp 2 if they have realistic expectations. Also comes in a nice carry bag and with a foot-switch.... not bad for $129.