Behringer V-Amp 2
|
Page:
1 2 3 4
(Show 10 | 25 | 50 | 100 reviews per page)
|
Showing 201 -
300
of 322 reviews
|
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: 190 (Euros)
Submitted 04/07/2003
at 09:03am
by txus
Ease of Use
:
9
Ok, the V-amp 2.0 is really simple, but you must to read all the manual to give the 100%. I don't edit my own patches but i think i do it in the future.
Sound Quality
:
9
The sound is really correct, I use it for recordding at my home studio and it gives me a real amp sound. Secilly like the rectifiers and the smalls combos, like the champ or the classic 50. Is a little noisy but the real amps are noisy too!, the reverb is very "digital" I don't like it, and i hate the noise gates, but I admit that the v-amp 2 has a really good noise supressor. The effect are decent but no the best I heard, all are usefull, delay are really good you can retard it until 2 seconds! but the flanger and auto wah are wrong.
Reliability
:
10
It's a nice thing: you can play all the stiles with this machine: jazz, rock, heavy... I play blues and rock and I have a ENGL and VOX combos, one strato, a Epiphone SG Custumized, and Fender Telecaster, and V-amp are at the same category that all my equipment.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
You don't have it, but I register mine...
Overall Rating
:
10
It's nice if you looking for a multiefcts or amp simulator don't look another thing. The V amp is really good value. I have heard PODS, BOSS (GT's), digitech, jonhson (really good) all are more spensive but not best than the v-amp
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $125
Submitted 04/02/2003
at 03:48pm
by Kalaab
Ease of Use
:
7
It's a fairly easy unit to use. It's got quite a few amp models, all of which have a useable sound. Editing patches is fairly simple, and it came with a pretty comprehensive manual, so what you can't figure out by playing you can read about. I've never used any firmware other than 2.0, so I can't comment on how it compares to previous versions, but I'm fairly satisfied with the unit.
Sound Quality
:
7
Well, I have to give this thing two separate ratings. It all depends on what you want to use it for... or rather whether you use it for its intended purpose.
See, the V Amp is lousy for live settings, because you're modeling an amp THROUGH an actual amp, so you get a hybrid sound between whatever amp you're using and whatever you've specified through the unit, so it's going to sound bad. For live settings (and make no mistake, I wouldn't ever use this thing live) I'd have to give it a 2.
However, I use it for line-in recording. This is where the unit shines, as its intended purpose is to simulate a mic'ed amp for recording purposes. I love the thing in this atmosphere. It sounds real, it's got good reverb, and the amp models are reasonably tweakable.
However, the effects on the unit are dismal. If you're buying this thing as a multi-effects box, save your money, they suck. However, if you want to do line-in recording with a realistic amp sound and good amp overdrive, go for it, you can't go wrong.
Reliability
:
7
Seems reliable enough. It's a desktop unit. Don't gig live with it because 1.) It's plastic, and 2.) the thing will make you sound like shit through an actual amp.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
a;lknfwoi
Overall Rating
:
8
Use it for recording. I can't stress that enough. This thing will ruin you live, but it will save you if all you were doing before was plugging straight into a mixer. Oh, and don't mistake this thing for an FX box either, because the effects suck. But if you need a good modeler for a line-in setting, don't pass it up. If mine broke, I'd buy a new one.
Also, don't let anyone kid you, this thing is just as good as a POD. The POD's effects suck also, the POD will ruin your live sound too, and the POD has good amp models for line in recording. The difference? A hundred bucks or so. Go with the V-Amp.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: EUR (159)
Submitted 04/01/2003
at 01:58pm
by Jan
Email: none
Ease of Use
:
8
Dialling up sounds is really easy, and the LEDs around the knobs are extremely helpful as they visualise settings. IMO they are as good as motorised faders, perhaps even better because they are not prone to mechanical error. Unfortunately it's not possible to access all parameters on the unit itself. For this you will have to use Behringer's free software, which is extremely easy to use as well, but makes deep editing during rehearsals impossible - no problem for live use, though.
Sound Quality
:
9
Live/rehearsal:
My live setup is an Ibanez RG550 plugged into the V-Amp 2 which goes into a Marshall 8008 Valvestate power amp and a Hughes & Kettner 1x12 Speaker. I really like the tone that I get from this setup. As I currently play in a cover band, covering a wide range of sounds is important to me, and I get all the sounds that I want from the V-Amp 2. I'm especially fond of the lead tones, but I have nothing to complain about the clean ones either. As far as noise is concerned: As with any other amp, high-gain settings tend to produce some noise, but it's not more than to be expected, and it can be controlled quite effectively with the built-in noise-gate. It's probably worth noting that I have the V-Amp's cab simulation turned off, since my signal is sent to a guitar cab anyway. As an additional benefit, the delay between switching patches is pretty much negligible this way, so I cannot share this criticism voiced by others.
Homerecording:
My V-Amp 2 goes into a Behringer 802a mixer, and from there into my audio card. For recording, cab sims are of course turned on, and I have only good things to say about the tone that I get.
I use effects fairly sparsely, and they're just fine for my purposes. That is not to say that they aren't good for more - I just don't use them extensively enough to comment on extreme uses. The choice of effects is appropriate for most needs as well, but using Behringer's software for programming is almost mandatory, as it will allow you to dial in effects combinations (e.g. compressor+amp model+chorus+delay+reverb) that are not accessible from the unit itself.
One effect that I would like to see is an acoustic guitar simulation, which would be great for live usage, but I guess you can't always get what you want. :-)
Reliability
:
8
So far I haven't had any problems, but I haven't done that many gigs with it. I would feel better with a backup, but not more so than with any other piece of gear. From what I've heard, the original lithium battery that is responsible for storing presets tends to fail early, so replacing it with a fresh one in time and doing regular midi-dumps of the presets might be a good idea.
Customer Support
:
8
I've written them a couple of e-mails prior to purchasing the V-Amp and with regards to other upcoming products, and I have always received friendly replies within a couple of days.
Behringer have an upgrade available for download from their website, but you will need to find someone to burn it into an eprom, since Behringer Germany does not send out free eproms (unless you are experiencing bugs due to a faulty eprom). Line6 provide a better service in this respect, but then you can buy quite a number of eproms for the price difference between V-Amp and POD.
Overall Rating
:
10
All in all I feel that the V-Amp was an excellent buy. I have been playing for 16 years and have owned various amps, preamps and effects devices (e.g. Peavey Rockmaster, Roland GP-8, Boss GX-700), and in my opinion the V-Amp stacks up to all of them very favorably.
If it were stolen, I'd either buy a new one or I would wait for Behringer's new "V-Ampire" combo amp, which they announced a couple of weeks ago. The advantage of that would be to have a V-Amp 2 together with a stereo power amp and one 1x12 speaker in one box, thus allowing for fewer cables and therefore less hassle when setting things up on stage. I have been thinking of purchasing a modelling combo anyway and have been looking at Flextones and the ZenAmp, but I either missed details such as the V-Amp's LED indicators or lack of effects combinations (no compressor, chorus and delay at once with the ZenAmp) or the fact that you're required to use a proprietary footswitch if you want to use all features (ZenAmp as well).
When taking the price into account, the V-Amp is currently without competition IMO, so I'll give it an overall 10.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: 100 (pounds)
Submitted 03/23/2003
at 12:26pm
by Danny
Ease of Use
:
8
Easy to use, but READ THE MANUAL. Very easy to edit patches.
Sound Quality
:
4
Does not sound good. I'm running it through the FX Return of a Marshall AVT-50. The clean sounds are quite good ('Classic clean' is excellent) and some of the effects sound good (the delay, tremolo, chorus). The Hi-gain sounds are awful. Far too noisy and hissy. Un-unseable. I really did tweak this for ages and could not get any good Hi-gain sounds. Also, like a few reviewers have said, there is a really noticable delay between patch switching. This sucks. It cannot be used live.
Reliability
:
5
It's very flimsy and the power supply is crap. It also has no on-off switch.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Not dealt with them, hoping to sell this dissapointment soon.
Overall Rating
:
3
This is no good for me. I wanted quality Hi-gain amp simulations and some nice effects. I wasted 100 quid. Save your pennies and buy some analog stomp boxes.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: 199 (AUD on sale)
Submitted 03/13/2003
at 08:58pm
by Steve
Email: shadowbolt<at>iinet dot net dot au
Ease of Use
:
8
We all know what this ones's about. Simulation effects. Pretty easy to use, however I don't like having to hold down a button to access the second tier of amp simulations - why not a press-down dial, or at least a toggle button. Apart from that, the unit is very easy to operate, however I would suggest at least skimming the manual.
Sound Quality
:
8
I'm running this with a Cole Clark Defender and an Onyx 336 semi. Sounds great with the Defender, however IMO most of the simulations sound crap with the semi. Maybe I just prefer to run that through my amp direct.
Some of the effects are a little underdone - a slight overuse of flange (which is a bit grotty) combos, but a very nice tremolo and passable compression effect. It just isn't a TS-9 or equivalent though - don't sell your pedals just yet.
I run the unit primarily through the line-in option of a Princeton Chorus, which eliminates the amp's own sound coming through. Goes up to a fair volume, although I just run it direct to the PA when live.
Reliability
:
7
Mmmm.... plastic cases... however, it seems that although it feels rather fragile, its quite tough. The foot switch it comes with is also reasonable. Don't like the proprietory power pack though - thats a real problem. If you want to gig with this unit, I'd suggest keeping an identical unit in reserve - given the price its no different to having a spare pedal. Certainly get a spare power pack ! Having said all that, I don't think the unit will cause much trouble.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Never needed to.
Overall Rating
:
7
Overall, this is a good unit - good effects and simulations, and lot of flexibility. I tried the POD unit and was put off by the price - then this unit comes in at 25% of the cost with a better sound.
Some people may be able to get away with one of these, no amp, no pedals, however I am not one of them. I get some benefit from it, mainly in convenience and cost, but otherwise fairly minimal. That aside, I think its a decent unit at a fair price. Just make sure you don't run it through the input to an amp - very bad !
The only thing really missing is a metal case.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: 299 (Australian)
Submitted 03/11/2003
at 06:36pm
by GJM
Ease of Use
:
8
Easy to use if you RTFM! Editing patches is as easy as tweaking things to your liking, selecting a location to save to, and pressing a couple of buttons. The manual is fairly good, explains most things well. The amp model descriptions/comparisons are really handy. Mine is the latest version as of this writing.
Sound Quality
:
8
Having read other reviews of this unit, several things need to be stated for prospective buyers of the V-Amp 2. Firstly, like any amplification device, you get out what you put in. If you are a crap player, use a crap guitar, a crap lead and crap headphones, then you end up with a crap sound. Secondly, the unit is designed mainly for connection to a flat-response output: mixer, PA, computer interface, QUALITY headphones. If you use in-ear walkman headphones, it sounds awful. If you use studio-grade, over-the-ear headphones, it sounds great. If you plug it into the effects return, or worse, the front end of a guitar amp, it won't sound good because you're running a simulated guitar amp through another guitar amp.
I use a Tom Anderson Pro Am, a George L's cable and high quality AKG headphones. Most of the amp models sound fine to me, although I've only played through a handful of 'real' ones. Brit Hi-Gain (JCM 800) is great, better than most real 800s I've heard. With the 'Drive' function engaged it's instant Zakk Wylde, if that's your thing. Most of the cleans are good and very useable. They have nice sparkle. Fender Twin, tweed Bassman and tweed Deluxe are my favourites. The Deluxe in particular sounds nice; at low gain it's very clean, and at high gain it's bassy, brown and flatulent. Very cool. The Voxes are very nice too. The high gain amps are quite chunky or smooth, depending on the model, and there is tons of gain on tap. The noise gate is fairly effective on those amps, but no gate is perfect I suppose. The only model I don't like is the Custom Clean/Drive (Dumble). It just sounds strange IMHO, but maybe real Dumbles sound like this? Overall there are tons of sounds in this unit, and it takes some fiddling to find sounds that suit you, but it's worth it. You can find sounds that work for every style of music.
The effects are okay; reverbs are quite good, delays are great, chorus is a bit mushy but still good, flange is a bit weak, the others I don't use. For live use they would be fine, but for critical recording work they wouldn't cut it. A nice feature is the way the output jacks can be configured; in one of the stereo modes, one output runs dry and the other runs wet for monitoring, so you can play against a delay (for example) but record the part dry and add effects later.
Some reviewers have complained about the low sample rate - real guitar amps don't exactly have 20Khz frequency response either, so this isn't really much of an issue. I don't think it affects the sound in a negative way.
Reliability
:
8
I've never had problems with mine, but then I only use it at home. I have the same issues as other reviewers - no power switch, proprietry power adaptor plug which would be a pain to replace in an emergency, plastic case seems a bit flimsy for gigging. For the price I won't complain. The reason they are so inexpensive is because they are made in China, and Berhinger handle their own distribution in some countries, thus eliminating middle man costs.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Never contacted Beringher.
Overall Rating
:
8
I write/play my own music - fingerstyle acoustic guitar (Carson Crickmore 000) and instrumental electric guitar (Tom Anderson Pro Am). I've been playing for over 16 years. I've come to the conclusion that, for me, solid state and modelling amps are the best choice in terms of price, reliabilty and versatility. The V-Amp provides a lot of scope for finding great sounds. Hopefully Beringher will upgrade the unit again and keep improving on it. IMHO it really does sound better than the POD, at 1/4 of the price.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: 100 (GBP (#))
Submitted 03/08/2003
at 02:00pm
by James Roche
Email: jaymes at ntlworld<dot>com
Ease of Use
:
9
The unit is very easy to use, even easier if you download the software for editing patches on computer. I use it with behringer's midi foot controller and it works a dream.
Sound Quality
:
9
I use this in a live set-up using a Marshall JCM 900, and a les paul, I planned to get a pod and to be honest this is the better unit as far as sound quality is concerned. You will not get better sound for this price range! I personally have not had a problem with any of the effects.
Reliability
:
10
I have never had a problem with it
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Never had to use it
Overall Rating
:
9
Well the lack of a metal chasis is disapointing, however for the price completely understandable, but why the hell did they not include a power switch this is the only really annoying thing about the unit. I now plan to get the v-amp pro when it comes out, so that won't be a problem in the future. If you are going to use this in a live environment then you must download the software to control it from your PC, setting the unit up for live applications is essential.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $129
Submitted 02/28/2003
at 03:50pm
by Anonymous
Ease of Use
:
9
The V-Amp 2 is pretty darn easy to use. You've got to know a couple of things from the instructions but otherwise it's very intuitive. The rotary knobs are very nice. I was using a similar Digitech product, the RP200 and it is much more difficult and time consuming. If you want to really make it easy, download the software and make changes with your computer through the MIDI connection.
Sound Quality
:
8
I'll give it to you straight here. Not all the effects sound good for a live set up. I still struggle to find a clean sound that comes even close to my clean Traynor YCV40. Where this thing shines is in the distortion settings. The Modern Hi Gain and the Brit Hi gain are phenomenal. They are worth the $130 price tag alone. The effects sound good to me too although I'm not to big of an effects player. I give it an 8 in this category because the cleans are about a 5, the two hi gain models above are easily a 10, and the effects are probably a 9.
Reliability
:
7
I had one problem with it so far. It lost all my presets when I pluged it in one day. I have no idea why. I definitely recommend hooking it up to your computer and saving you library whenever you make changes. Besides that it looks pretty fragile. I would have for it to fall off my amp and hit the ground.
Customer Support
:
10
The website is pretty cool. Very easy to exchange presets with other V-Amp users.
Overall Rating
:
9
Lately I've been playing a lot of rock covers and the V-Amp works well. I play with it live but it is better suited for recording into your computer. I think the clean models sound much better in that format. My only real problem with the V-Amp is that when you switch between sounds there is about a half-second space of silence which really sucks if you're playing live. I don't know why they can't fix this. The lack of an On/Off switch is a nuisance but not a reason to avoid buying one. If it were stolen I would probably buy another but I would try out more of the competition first to see if anything out there is better. Compared to the Digitech RP200, the V-Amp has better sounds and is easier to program but the Digitech has a sturdier package (all metal). Compared to the Zoom 505II that the other guitarist in my band uses, I think the sound are as good if not better and the V-Amp is way easier to program. Overall I really like the V-Amp. I gave some 7s and 8s because I was trying to be realistic. I think this is a hell of a lot of an effects processor for $129. My first effects pedal was a Digitech multieffects pedal that I bought in 1988 which cost $250, and it can't even come close to what the V-Amp can do. I've been playing guitar for almost 20 years now, I've owned Mesa Boogie and Marshall amps and none of them can get the awesome distortion sounds that Modern Hi Gain and Brit Hi Gain produce.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $130
Submitted 02/28/2003
at 06:30am
by Tony Campese
Ease of Use
:
10
REALLY easy to use. So easy to edit patches with all the lights on it and shit. The manual's fucking awesome. Those German guys sure know a thing or 2 about our music.
Sound Quality
:
10
Using it with a Strat and headphones (get some good ones and stop whinin ya cheap fux). It also sounds orgasmic through my valvestate. You can get anybody's tone through this thing... personal faves: Metallica, Zakk, Vai, Johnson, Satch, YJM (He fuckin' RULES), SRV, Andrew Ridgeley, Al DiMeola. I'll never play guitar as good as those guys, but if we were to strum an E cord together the tone would be pretty goddam similar.
Reliability
:
7
I BETTER be able to depend on it or I'll be back in the store shoving up that scumbag salesman's ass. Its made of hard plastic but the thing you stand on (the pedal doofus) is made of metal and could withstand Oprah landing on it.
I would take some old BOSS pedals for a backup, or an acoustic and a kazoo if all the electricity in the building cut out. If like a rhino fell on me though, I'd be in deep shit, huh?
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Dunno. But the website is way cool. Man, I love the Germans. Especially the way they always support us and stuff like the French. I'm sure their staff take their job very seriously though coz there's some stiff competition out there. Heed my warning guys... oh, and keep on rockin'... yeah!
Overall Rating
:
10
Totally fuckin' rad. BUY THIS PRODUCT. Its cheap, its way cool, its blue, its got red lights that flash and shit. Sounds da BIZ. What more can ya say. Go download some samples from their site... they're real similar to the actual product.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: 90 (GBP)
Submitted 02/26/2003
at 09:09am
by Chris S
Email: c_sandys<at>hotmail dot com
Ease of Use
:
8
Very simple to use. 8 because I can't get the editor software to talk to the V-amp though that may just be me.
Sound Quality
:
7
I play a Gibson SG, mostly blues / rocky style, and into a PC, then out through some half decent studio monitors. I haven't tried the "real" version of every amp on offer but the tones are fine for me. The preset for Van Halen's "Ain't talkin bout love" is very good.
Reverb good, chorus / phaser / flanger OK but I would add these on the PC. Slightly restrictive combinations.
Reliability
:
8
Plastic but cheap - no probs after 6 months.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
n/a
Overall Rating
:
8
I got this for home recording and it suits my needs perfectly. Comparison with the POD versions is subjective, and for half the price it was no decision.
My two cents:
I've been playing for 15 years to no great standard, and I have reached the age where I can afford the gear but not the time. After a long time of copies, I now have a nice guitar and like many an ageing guitarist with a handful of spare green, I thought about getting a half-decent valve amp to play through - one that I could play quietly but get a good overdriven tone. If anyone else is in the same position, get a V-amp. For example the Cornford Harlequin is a superb sounding amp at 6 watts, but driving it hard for THAT valve tone is still far too loud for a home situation (well my home anyway). When they introduce 0.1 watt valve combos then maybe I'll be waving goodbye to the V-amp.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: 120 (Euro) used
Submitted 02/25/2003
at 04:12am
by Jeroen
Ease of Use
:
8
Well, u need to fiddle around a bit (32 amp models and 15 cabs makes it difficult to choose if u dont know what ur looking for). I just took an amp with eq at 12 o'clock and searched for a cab i liked to join with it. Then just turn the eq to ur taste. So, finding a good sound works pretty easy. Finding the right sound needs some trial and error.
Editing is easy. Just turn the knobs. When u like wot u have, hold the preset knob and all is saved. I believe some parameters can only be accessed by computer. Editing program is really simple. Just hook it up to ur midi port (or gameport). 2bad my computer doesnt recieve midi under xp. Tho, my brothers computer has no problems at all with it.
Well, manual is a bit basic. The MIDI part isn't that extended. Hoped to have some more explained about the midi part. Well, phaps thats why there r some forums on the v-amp.
Unit hasnt been upgrade. I think it is the latest version, cuz its only 3 months old.
Overall, quite easy. Tho I recommend to read the manual for the amp models and the cabs. ALways nice to know what u r trying to model. Ow yeah, and make sure u use the right config mode. There r a view dedicated configurations for ur line outs. And it makes quite a difference choosing the right config. The manual has pictures with suggested configs (to mixing console, to recorder, to amp and pa etc)
Ow yeah, btw, it is offered as a quite complete set (with footswitch and soft bag and adapter). ANd the leds are sooo coooooooool and so easy to work with. When editing on computer, leds r realtime updated. So turn the knobs at the computer will adjust settings at ur v-amp immediately.
Sound Quality
:
9
Got it hooked to the computer. Use it for practice thru headphones. I am going to play guitar in a choir (play bass now with that choir). They have a lucas pa system with a behringer mixer. So i'll be putting a balanced cable to the mixer then. At home, when practice with other musicians of the choir it is going into a Fender PA100 tube amp with 2 fullrange mcgregor speaker cabs (12" with horn)
I use a Dean D-92 (hb-sc-hb) with it and some ibanez type copy. That one is a neck thru model with stop tail and SD Custom Custom in neck and an EMG 81 in bridge position. SD has coil tap. Tho it is said the unit sounds best with hb. Guess it needs a fairly strong input signal.
It can be noisy (high gain models). ALso my amp need new tubes. MY amp is really noisy to at the moment. Tho, nothing annoying.
Effects are suitable to my needs. Autowah sounds fair, got more of a quack than a wah. Phaser is ok. Chorus is ok. Reverbs and delay r pretty good i think. But i'm no good judge at that (my only "pristine" delays i had were a DOD FX96 Analogue delay and an analogue delay on the Ibanez UE405).
I should be able to get the sound of my favorite artists. But didnt try it yet. I can get good clean, jazz, all types of blues etc. Still looking for 80's metal, and modern metal. Havent founds really brutal metal sounds yet. I need an extra eq for that i think (luckily i have one). BUt the sounds i have i like very much (got i very juicy metal sound. SOm greasy blues. Some jazzy stuff. Great crunches)
2bad i cant use more than 2 modulation effects at the same time.
Reliability
:
6
hm, its plastic, got cheap jack connectors. Them connectors r easy to replace. It looks fragile but so does all rack equipment and desktop processord do. I'm really glad with the bag they gave with it. I will use it without a backup, cuz at the moment i need my money for other things. But, as it costs virtually nothing why not buy 2 or three of them?
Customer Support
:
7
Never emailed them. They got a very good homepage with downloads (manual editor etc) and some nice links. Repair shouldnt be a problem cuz they work with standard components. But with this unit, u just buy a new one when u trashed it.
Overall Rating
:
10
I play all kinds a styles. So this is a perfect match. Playing guitar for 17 years now. First 5 years only classic (nylon strings). I've owned a Fender Bassmann 70, Mesa V-twin pedal, DOD FX96, Big Muff reissue (the cheap 1), Boss DS-1, Boss OC-2, Zoom 9002, Ibanez UE 405, Morley Wah, Behringer DSP1000 virtualizer, Boss GX700, Viscount Footcontroller (with 2 expr pedals). I still own a Kitty Hawk Quattro Tube preamp, an Fender PA100 tube amp (got rid of its original cabs) and 2 MCGregor fullrange pa cabs, this v-amp and a FCB1010 footcontroller. Also have an EKO shortscale bass and a Rok Axe five string warwick copy. Used to have an Alliance 4str acoustic bass. I have a nylon string guitar and 2 electric guitars. And an empty wallet.
I love the leds. I hate the crappy connectors. My favorite feature is the modeling part. Didnt compare it. THis thing is just more convenient and much cheaper than POD and Johnson.
Nothing extra i wish it had. Well, a good pitch shifter or harmonizer would be nice. But its better to use dedicated equipment for that.
Its a very inspiring unit. It only gets in the way with my mouse. Dont have much space on my desk left.
Well, very versatile unit. Just make sure u have a good amp to go with it, or use it for harddisk recording.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $129
Submitted 02/23/2003
at 09:33pm
by Richard Johnson
Email: ricjohns<at>bellsouth dot net
Ease of Use
:
9
It is pretty easy to use. The factory patches are refreshingly good. Not a lot of effects on each patch so you can actually hear the quality of the models. I'd have prefered a larger display, but for the price it isn't a big deal. Editing is fairly easy and the controls work a lot like amps modelled. The manual is actually fairly well written with plenty of diagrams. The only addition I'd like to see is a one page cheat sheet of amp models, cabinets, effects, etc. My unit has the original ROM, I'm burning the new one this week. You also get the gig bag and simple pedal at no extra cost. A nice touch.
Sound Quality
:
8
I have a variety of guitars to choose from. I've use a PRS McCarty, Strat and Les Paul '59 RI with this and they all stay true. It is a little noisy on the high gain settings - like a high gain amp would be.
The effects sound reasonably good, but it isn't a high end effects processor. It sounds like a decent set of generic pedals. But to be honest I mostly record dry or with a little spring reverb; I mostly add the effects later with PC plug ins.
I guess I'm my favorite artist, since I try to get sounds for the music I'm writing. However, I have done a few checks with CDs. I was especially interested in comparing it with Clapton's Blues breaker sound and it is very close.
I use Rivera amps live, so I'll probably never use this. This was bought to improve on my demo recordings. I had previously used a POD but got increasingly frustrated with it, especially after using a Korg Pandora PX4 for some scratch tracks. They sounded better than the POD models! So I started looking for something new that would fit in the mix better. I ended up with the V-Amp because the clean sounds are very good.
The models are all very convincing. Some Metal heads might want more low end on the Rectifier but it can be added by selecting a different speaker cabinet simulation or with EQ at the board.
Some people have complained about the sample rate, but it doesn't seem to harm the high end. Since a guitar amp isn't full range, I don't think it's a big deal anyway.
Overall, the models are very convincing. I've played through and owned a few of the amps modelled here and it seems to "get it" better than the POD. The clean amp sounds have sparkle in the high end, which is MUCH better than any POD I've played through yet. The twin and bassman are actually really bright. The distorted Marshall sounds are also very close. The other nice thing is that the distortion is not over blown on the "non-high gain" models giving a nice clear sound like a really turned up amp. It doesn't have the unnatural low end of the POD and fits in a mix better, IMHO.
It's not a tube amp and doesn't quite react the same, but it works well for my purpose which is for recording.
Reliability
:
9
For recording it seems pretty well built. I'm not going to gig with it but I don't think you would want to drop it alot.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Haven't used it.
Overall Rating
:
10
It works well for a lot of different styles. I own several modellers, from the original Rockman and Sansamp to a POD and Pandora. I play through amps live, because the air moving inspires me and the modellers aren't as good. I'd buy another one if it got lost or stolen, because it is a great bargain.
I really like the sound and it makes recording a lot easier. I wish it had a power switch and downloadable upgrades. I chose it for the sound and tried it the recommendation of a guitarist I respect.
Try it with an open mind and ignore the price. You might like it.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $139.00
Submitted 02/17/2003
at 08:23pm
by Anonymous
Ease of Use
:
10
All the specs have been listed here, so I'll forego that here. VERY easy to use. Even the sub-layer tweaks are easy to figure out, even without the manual (Assuming you've used a POD, J-Station or anything else digital for that matter). The benefit of the Vamp over the POD (Including the XT) is the lighted perimeter of the knobs that gives you an instant read on your settings for the amp model you've chosen. Surprisingly, the factory presets are useable, and even tasteful.
Sound Quality
:
10
I bought the Vamp mainly for recording, and for headphone practice when the little ones are asleep in the room next to mine. I should start by saying that I just sold my POD2 and PODxt for my Vamp2. I owned a Vamp2 before, but sold it to get the cash up for the 'latest and greatest' PODxt. After doing an A/B comparison I could'nt justify keeping the Line 6 stuff when the Vamp sounded just as good (if not better) to my ears. I run directly into the Vamp using a EBMM Axis, and it sounds great. I truly love the distortion sounds I can pump out with this thing. To me the POD2 sounded good, on one setting (The Soldano X88 preamp setting) and even that got old after a while. It just seemed sterile and brittle to me after a while. The PODxt was a big dissapointment. I won't go into it here, but I was expecting the XT to sound warmer and truer to the originals. To my ears, the Vamp sounds warmer and more believeable to me. I mainly play hard rock, and compared to my Marshall half stack the Vamp sounds better on some settings. In fact, my band had a gig at a really small club recently, and I decided to try the Vamp live. I had the sound man mix the signal to my monitor, and it sounded great! The effects are good, but not knock-out. I don't like to bury my sound in effects, so this is not a biggie for me. I can say that the reverbs on the Vamp are fabulous, and much better than anything else I've tried in this format. The clean sounds are useable, but not really the Vamp's forte. In the future it'd be cool to see an acoustic patch, or some more advanced effects like a ring modulator and pitch shifter. Overall this little guy sounds FABULOUS, especially for the price.
Reliability
:
7
As I said, I had one before and it worked flawlessly for the 3 months I had it. There are some beefs I have with the unit that certainly would effect the reliability. First, I REALLY HATE the fact that there's no on/off switch! They tell you NOT to plug the power cord into the unit if it's already plugged into the wall, or it'll fry. I have mine connected to a power strip, so I turn off the power strip to turn the unit off. To make matters worse, it has some custom power cord that looks just like the connector to a PS2 mouse or keyboard, so if you lose the power cord, I have no idea where I'd find another one. The case is plastic, which really makes the unit feel cheap. (But hey, for $130 what do you expect. It IS cheap!)Also, the input jacks really feel flimsy, since they're not anchored to the case but mounted directly to the PC board they're mounted on. For the price I paid, I can certainly forgive these quirks, but I'd pay a little more for one in the future for the added piece of mind.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
I've never dealt with them. Since they're made in Germany, I'd think getting one repaired might be near impossible for us in the U.S., but they do have a Satellite office in the states somewhere, but their website doesn't specify.
Overall Rating
:
10
Been playing for 18+ years now, and owned TONS of gear. When deciding to buy a recording amp, money was no object. As I've stated, I sold the more expensive POD's I owned since they have'nt been used since I got the Vamp. Even at the same price as the POD I would have gotten a Vamp and not looked back. What really floors me, is that for $130 I got what I feel is a superior sounding piece of equipment that includes a travel case AND a footswitch, all for $100 to $300 less than anything else comparable! It's not perfect, but for the money this is an outstanding value. As I stated, I HATE the fact that it doesn't have a damn on/off switch, and has a plastic case. If it was stolen, I'd find the change in between the cushions of the sofa and go get another one. The fact that it's so easy to use and sounds so good lets me focus on playing more than tweaking endlessly. Does it sound like a tube amp? Who cares? It's all about the sound you want, and for me, I can get any sounds I need (and even sounds I don't need). For the money, it can't be beat.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $139.00
Submitted 02/15/2003
at 10:35pm
by Chris
Email: ctarmistead at meckcom<dot>net
Ease of Use
:
10
Ease of use? Just plug and play. I think the presets are just fine. When I tweaked them I found I was screwing the sound up so I just go with the presets. I have never downloaded patches or burned EPROMS. With 125 presets it gives you just about every combo of cabs, amps, and effects you need already. I read the manual once and instantly understood the operation of the V-Amp 2.
Sound Quality
:
10
I found that you can use ANY guitar with the V-Amp 2. I had two or three good amps at my disposal. I don't use any of them anymore. I run the V-Amp 2 directly into the mixer. Balanced TRS output means you don't even need a direct box. By the way I work with a variety of bands and provide instruments sometimes as well as doing the sound. Thanks to the V-Amp 2 I save a ton of money. Got rid of all the traditional amps and use a cheap Squire Affinity Tele. It now sounds like a $3000.00 guitar.
Reliability
:
9
I use two V-Amp 2's on stage (one for lead and one for the rythm player) and a Line 6 Bass POD for the bass player. Modelers are the way to go when you gig on small stages. I don't even tote around regular amps anymore.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Never had to use it
Overall Rating
:
9
The V-Amp really rocks. Its especially good for metal, grunge, rock, and new age. I use it for country and blues. The crunch is super crunchy but the clean presets are a whole lot cleaner than standard amps and there is ZERO hum.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: N/A
Submitted 02/14/2003
at 08:26pm
by Mike
Ease of Use
:
No Opinion
Sound Quality
:
No Opinion
This is an additional comment about the Vamp. (I already submitted a review) I used it for a jam session playing through a PA, and it sounded OK. (mostly heavy blues stuff for this jam, but I used the Mesa sounds anyway because I like them alot..)
Anyway, just some comments about this product: I recorded a couple of tracks using the Vamp direct into the recorder, then recorded my real mashall on a couple of other tracks and did some A-B comparison. It was hard to tell them apart based on the recording.
In fact, I doubt that anyone other than me would be able to tell the difference.
Also, you have to use studio quality flat response headphones if your going to play this thing that way. Would you load your amp with El-cheapo speakers and expect it to sound good? The headphones are your speakers for this thing, so you have to spring for the good ones.
Also, I ran this thing through a tube power amp today (EL34 stocked marshall power amp with the speak sim turned off) and I couldn't believe how great it sounded. You have to re-EQ the amp model after turning off the speaker sim, so I saved about 15 patches just for running "live" into my power amp. The rest of the memory can be used for recording patches.
Guys that know alot about guitar amps and tone will tell you that the power amp is what makes the sound. Not the pre-amp.
I have no doubt that the killer rig in this day and age is not one of the many digital amps out there today. Buy a amp modeler and a nice tube power amp. (Marshall, Randall, etc.) and run the amp modeler through it into a good speaker cab. You won't believe your ears.
I wish they had this technology when I first started playing back in the 1980's. We had to play through crappy solid state peavy's and stuff.
The crummy thing about power tubes is that they don't sound magic unless you crank them up loud. (You have to buy a Marshall power brake or similar product to get them to run hot at lower volumes.)
Anyway. You can get some good sounds out of this thing, so play with it and have fun.
Reliability
:
No Opinion
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Overall Rating
:
No Opinion
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $140
Submitted 02/09/2003
at 01:14pm
by Desperately seeking tone
Ease of Use
:
9
With certain applications, i.e., using the second parameters, two hands are needed, not a big deal but, not a perfect situation.
Other than that, self explanatory.
Sound Quality
:
6
In this category, there is so much difference in opinion.
Here's mine.
Using the cab sims and models, effects and such...
Through headphones:
The distortions sound very similar, just differences in tone settings.
Whether it be the brit higain or the modern, or the rectified, same sound, just different tone settings. This is also painfully obvious in the POD. Very muffled/inhibited sounding.
The effects are OK, thats all. The reverbs are very digital sounding, chorus isnt very plush, delay is good.
People speak so much of the cab sims, some are too exaggerated. Sounds like you put a stop phaser in front of them. Not very natural sounding.
Through a poweramp/ powered speaker cab:
This is the best of the scenarios, still not great. The sounds are fairly good, again the distortions are similar in sound and feel.
With certain cab simulators, very muffled sounding. Not real crisp or clear sounding at all.
One feature overlooked on this item is this....
YOU CANT SAVE A PATCH WITH OUT A CAB SIMULATOR.
WHY NOT?
You can turn it off, but as soon as you change the patch, it assumes the default cab sim setting.
Its very harsh, buzzy/scratchy sounding with out it, but...
By putting this in the INPUT of my amp, turning off the cab sim, adjusting the tone controls on the v-amp AND amplifier, the sound came alive! It wasnt harsh, muffled, or muddy, it was clear, articulate (more so anyway..) finally, a good sound out of this thing.
BUT NOOOOOOOO! YOU CANT SAVE IT LIKE THIS, WTF!! (what the F#*k?)
change patches and bada bing, bad muffled tone once again.
They need to work on this a bit.
This rating is based on with and without cab sim
Reliability
:
No Opinion
Cant speak of this criteria.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Havent contacted them.
Overall Rating
:
5
I play mostly George Lynch, Van Halen, Queensryche, you know...
REAL MUSIC!!!
It would deem apropos for these and other styles, but, it needs work.
I have an Jackson soloist, Rockman xp100, peavey transfex, a 412, 212, have had other equipment, (a custom tube amp)If it were stolen or lost, I would do nothing, not buy another one, or something else. I would bust out the window in my pickup truck, say it was stolen out of there (along with a bunch of other stuff to make up for the deductible) and keep the money.
As a matter of fact, I am taking advantage of the return policy at Guitar center and bringing it back today or tomorrow.
I compared it to the pod and they are very similar, the features on the vamp are a little better. But similar in sounds and aggravating factors.
Anything I wish it had?
Yeah, usable tone would be nice.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $129.00
Submitted 02/03/2003
at 12:22pm
by Chris
Email: barcelonacj at cs<dot>com
Ease of Use
:
10
Much like using an amp. Controls are very intuitive and there are no deep layers of menus to navigate.
Sound Quality
:
9
I've had mine for almost a year and I love it! For the price you can't beat the sounds. I especially like the Fender Twin emulation for clean sounds and the Marshall and Mesa Boogie sounds for overdrive and distortion. I usually play a 1988 American Standard Strat through an old Peavey Heritage hybrid amp, but the V-AMP has sounded great no matter what I've plugged it into for amplification. I have heard that it is particularly good going direct to a PA or through a neutral-counding keyboard amp. I love it for home recording.
Reliability
:
7
I have had no problem with mine, and would depend on it without a backup. However, because I don't trust ANY equipment in a gig setting but can't afford a backup, I would be sure to use an amp that has a sound I like without effects, just in case it failed.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Have had no reason to deal with them. However, there is lots of good support available for this product, including a very helpful Yahoo discussion group that is monitored by Behringer for customer feedback.
Overall Rating
:
10
I play a variety of styles including blues, rock, hard rock, R&B, and a bit of metal. It has served me well for all styles. I have playing for about 30 years, and was never one to use effects other than a bit of chorus and overdrive from stompboxes. Now that I have my V-AMP I love having the effects, even though I tend to use them sparingly. The amp models and cab sims are outstanding for the price.
There is nothing about the V-AMP that I strongly dislike. I wish the input jacks felt sturdier and I wish Behringer would include some kind of mounting bracket. I bought an Axxess Raxxess (about $10) for mine and it works great on top of a combo amp or mounted on a mic stand. I hope latency when switching presets will be improved, but I haven't found it as much of a barrier as some people have. I don't often make drastic changes in my guitar sound during a song, so if there is a bit of delay when switching sounds it's not a problem for me. Again, FOR THE PRICE, I have absolutely no complaints about the V-AMP. It's the best $130 investment I've ever made, and I will be buying other Behringer products because the value/price ratio is so good.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $139
Submitted 02/02/2003
at 10:45am
by mike
Email: mikegg<at>attglobal dot net dot remove
Ease of Use
:
9
Much easier than a Pod...when you press the tap key the effects LED changes and you can see what the second parameter setting is for the selected effect and the presence, (should be that way for which amp selected too). And the lights are just cool. There's also one indicator for the second set of amps. Both the Pod and Vamp use a crappy LED which IMO could easily be more informative and have more than 2 numbers. Korg and Digitech boxes have much more informative displays. There is a simple floor board but it only changes one of five banks and does not allow you to change banks. It does provide access to the tuner though.
Sound Quality
:
9
Everybit as good as a Pod and probably a little better than Korg and Digitech. The amps sound great and very full. If you think you can hear the difference between a real amp and one of these with all the different possiblilities of guitar tone setting, choice of pickups, bass, treble, and mid settings on the v-amp or on the real amp with who knows what knd of reverb thrown in and in what kind of room and where the amp is placed in the room and you've actually played in person more than 3 or 4 of these amps, you've got to be on tour. (rant mode off, sorry) Now I have played several Marshall amps loud and the sound is viseral, but the Vamp comes close. I have a PX4 which I love for it's convienence and display, options, percussion, and sound, but the vamp's amp modeling is better. The effects are fine.
Reliability
:
No Opinion
No on/off switch???..if it blows up will Behringer fix it? Probably costs 50$ just to see if could be fixed. Plastic but seems solid.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Nice web site and upgradability
Overall Rating
:
9
Great box and the price is fantastic. No reason to get a Pod. I play many kinds of electric and acoustic music for about 20 years with about 8 or so different guitars, though the Parker Supreme is my favorite. Again, if you're a top pro you may want the real thing, for the rest of us the V-amp works great. I wish it had a better display. It easily compares with anything out there and I've used a Pod 2, Digitech rp2000, genesis 3, Korg px3 and px4, and costs less.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: 99 (sterling)
Submitted 02/01/2003
at 08:12am
by ashley kalym
Email: akalym at hotmail<dot>com
Ease of Use
:
9
Pretty easy to use just spend half an hour reading the manual instead of having a wank and your there.
Sound Quality
:
10
Having only used solid state combos this thing kiks fukkin arse!! i was after that hi gain scooped sound and ive found it. i run it through a marshall 4x12 cab and it sounds awesome. I know some of you out there are going to say that tube amps are better, thats fine if you want to spend however many thousand pounds/dollars getting a rig together, but most people havent. for the price this kinks more ass than i evr thought it would.
Reliability
:
8
it plastic which could be a problem but as long as you keep it out of the way of the fat kid in the front row, and dont stand/kick/throw it then it will be fine.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
never dealt with them.
Overall Rating
:
10
I play thrash and shred, and for this this thing is the bollocks. I record with it as well and it is so versatile. It beats miking an amp up and trying to get everything next to the PC.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $139.99
Submitted 01/30/2003
at 11:01am
by Jeremy Deats
Ease of Use
:
6
You have to read the manual, some of the editing options are a bit confusing (such as having to hold down a button to edit a parameter that you wouldn't know existed if it weren't for the manual).
The manual is excellent, and the unit comes with 3 different manuals. English, German and another language (French I believe).
The unit does not come with the software for PC (and how effortless would it have been to include a CD-ROM?), you have to hit the Behringer website and download it.
Sound Quality
:
9
The amp modeler in the V-Amp 2 is very good, a vast improvement over the original V-Amp. You get more sustain, more amp models, etc... Even with its low price I felt the original V-Amp was not in the league with the POD and POD2, but the V-Amp 2 is a different story.
Compared side by side with a POD 2 the V-Amp 2 holds its own quite well. Search the web, and you'll find professional musicians testifing to this. Recording direct with it is a blast. I've always thought the true test of a sim simulator is how well it sounds without any effects added, if you put any of the low end processors to the test, almost all will sound unconvincing (take any of Zoom and Digitech processors, turn off all effects and just listen to the amp models dry or with slight reverb many of them are a joke), they rely on a combination of "modeling" plus effects to get their tone and this is the key difference you will find when comparing products such as the POD 2 and V-Amp 2 to other processors, the POD and V-Amp are in a class of their own and what they do is quite amazing.
One thing I really liked is how the manual goes into the history of each amp model, which artist help make it famous, etc.. This helped give a path to dialing up familure sounds, including:
- Classic Clapton (Cream era)
- Classic Van Halen
- Hendrix
- The Edge
- SRV
- Hammet
- Eric Johnson
Although best used for direct recording, the V-Amp 2 can also be used though a PA or an amp. I have a Fender Princeton Chorus, I ran the V-Amp 2's earphone output into my stereo effect loop (return) with dazling results. I've tried this same approach with other processors and was unimpressed.
Reliability
:
7
It's pastic, but it seems well made. The footswitch makes a poping sound when you change settings, so it's not idea for live gigs, unless you put it up on a stand or having it controlled via MIDI.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Never tried to contact them.
Overall Rating
:
10
If you're considering a POD 2 I would highly recommend you consider the V-Amp 2, you'll save hundreds of dollars for a product of equal quality. There's a reason Guitar Center keeps these in the back off the floor, I think they would much rather sell you a POD 2 and if people knew how well the V-Amp 2 sounds they wouldn't shell out the bucks for the overpriced POD 2
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: N/A
Submitted 01/25/2003
at 01:09pm
by Mike Puskas
Email: mjpuskas at hotmail<dot>com
Ease of Use
:
No Opinion
This is an update to a previous post of mine. I have had this unit for 2 weeks and have done extensive recording with it. I have recorded 4 songs in 2 weeks right in my own bedroom using the V-AMP 2, my guitar, bass and Cakewalk's GUITAR TRACKS PRO. This thing has given me an outstanding sound on my recordings and was worth every penny! The High Gain sounds are just fantastic.
The noise gate is so useful on this unit. When I used to record using my TECH 21 PSA-1, I would have to turn my computer monitor off everytime I started a recording. The hiss would be unbelievable. With the V-AMP 2, I bump up the noise gate and can record without laying a finger on the monitor.
Even with doing recordings, I have not even scratched the surface on what this unit has available. The ones I use the most are the Marshall 800, Engl, and Mesa emulators. Like I said before, the cab selections are really helpful. As far as gain settings go, I have found myself actually turning down some gain to get a better sound. I used to always crank the gain no matter what. I have not even delved into the online downloading capabilities of this thing. There are just so many options with this unit.
I still stand by my opinion on this thing, that it can stand with the big boys (POD, J-STATION, etc.) The price on these cannot be beat right now. For all of you looking to do inexpensive recording, pick up a V-AMP 2 and CAKEWALK'S GUITAR TRACKS PRO. You will get everything for about $239. You can do everything you need to without breaking your bank account. And, GUITAR TRACKS PRO comes with Fruityloops so you can instantly have drums for your recordings.
Sound Quality
:
No Opinion
Reliability
:
No Opinion
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Overall Rating
:
No Opinion
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $139
Submitted 01/24/2003
at 11:22pm
by Anonymous
Ease of Use
:
8
If you've ever used an amp modeler you should have no trouble w/ this unit. The LED's let You know what the settings are, no guessing. Most Behringer manuals are poor, but not too bad w/this one. Sounds for these devices tend to be over processed, but they were not too bad.
Sound Quality
:
9
I found the sounds too be quite good. I use a Carvin DC127 going into a board. I was able to get some monster sounds from this unit. I have POD's both ver 2.2 & 2.1 & the Behringer easily keeps up with both devices
Reliability
:
8
I can't answer about reliability, but I've had no problems using the unit.
I would never gig without back-up.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
haven't needed it yet
Overall Rating
:
9
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $129
Submitted 01/17/2003
at 11:57am
by Felipe Engel
Ease of Use
:
10
Pretty easy, just a quick look at the manual and you are ready to go.
Sound Quality
:
8
I have a 82' Strat , a 98' Standard Les Paul and a Tagima (brazilian luthier) floyd rose, seymour duncan, scalloped rock'n roll strat type.
Very nice sounds for 129 dollars. Far away from a arm hair moving bass sound of a real set up but outstanding for its price range. I use it also on gigs with a Mosvalve Poweramp and a custom made Celestion Vintage 60 1x12'' cab. Decent sounds with great mobility with its FC10101 MIDI footcontroler. The effects are also very usuable and you don't need anything else to get a good (not wonderful) sound going. A little noise? Sure, but my Marshall did it too... of course. Set its noise gate and shut up.
Reliability
:
No Opinion
* Can you depend on it?
Hmmmm... I guess so... but plastic is always scary.
* Would you use it on a gig without a backup?
Shit happens... but the same applies to any piece of equipment...any.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
didn't need yet... the site is cool thoughand you can get free firmware upgrades...nice!
Overall Rating
:
9
I used to own a rack with Marshall JMP-1 + 9200 power amp + 4x12'' marshall cab with a Hush unit and a Boss SE-50 for effects. Since a was rarely using it on gigs and also needed a quick buck, I got rid of it (sadly) and decided to get a cheap raplacement for home recording, practicing and eventually giging. This thing covered my expactations regarding cost/benefit , no, what am I saying, it exceeded! My Marshall is gone but I have a cool usuable sound and I'm ok with it. It is a little thin, but what would you expect, probably a BBE could do a lot for it live.
I play pop through metal and think you 'll have lots of sounds covered here, the Twin is great and the JCM is pretty cool too, not to mention the Soldano..nice!!! In the end, I think this is a GREAT toy for serious players, and it is a serious tool for recorders, in the middle, you will have great fun giggin' too. Bang for the buck: 10. Overall: 9
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $150
Submitted 01/17/2003
at 09:19am
by Gustaf
Email: small_clone<at>hotmail dot com
Ease of Use
:
8
what can I say? this thing is easy to use
Sound Quality
:
2
If you use the bypass mode this could be usefull.. But if youre not the footswitch will make clicks between the banks so its useless live..
Reliability
:
3
The adapter got broken after like 5 times using this.. The guys I bought it from fixed a new one but behringer didnt care.
Customer Support
:
2
They atleast answered my e-mails but didnt want to help me.. The store helped me instead..
Overall Rating
:
5
for home use this could be usefull.. You cant use this live due to those horrible clicks the footswitch occures.. This thing sucks.. Save your money and buy a pod or stomboxes instead. Although its cheap for all those effects.. but they are so noisy that you cant use them live anyway.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $100 used
Submitted 01/17/2003
at 07:06am
by bc
Ease of Use
:
9
Pretty easy to use really. Even easier if you use the PC Editor.
Sound Quality
:
5
Very marginal. Many of the amp models sound fairly organic but thin. The FX are even less than so-so. The Delay is nice, the reverbs are metallic, the chorus' and flangers just don't sound very good. And like the Johnson J-Station there is some kind of weird ringing always happening in the high-end - is the the A/D converters? Could be, I don't know. Stil and all - for $140 it's not bad - but I'd be sorely tempted to spend $60 more and get the Digitech Genesis 3 - way more tweakability - vastly superior FX. The amp modeling still isn't better than the POD 2.X though.
Reliability
:
4
This is an inexpensive product made inexpensively.
Customer Support
:
7
Seems to be uneven. FWIW - I know Behringer tech folks lurk in the yahoo V-amp group. They have put out several EEPROM updates to address problems and user concerns.
Overall Rating
:
6
If you just can't possibly spend more than $150 - this is probably a good choice, but I would A/B it against the J-Station.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $129
Submitted 01/14/2003
at 10:48am
by Anonymous
Ease of Use
:
8
No problems here,
It may be slightly easier than the POD
Sound Quality
:
7
Good enough to fake it in the mix, great for at home with phones.
Reliability
:
No Opinion
Customer Support
:
1
Are you kidding me?
They are none existant.
5 emails not a single response.
Forget Behringer if you need support.
I would give them a 0 if I could.
Behringer support, is a joke!
Overall Rating
:
1
I guess you get what you pay for here, not quite as good as the POD2 with 2.3 firmware.
And the fact that their support is non-existant forced me to forget about Behringer for any product.
Behringer should be ashamed of themselves for even offering support. They should simply tell you 'WE HAVE NO SUPPORT'
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: 240 (SFR)
Submitted 01/14/2003
at 05:01am
by Michi
Ease of Use
:
8
Pluggin it in, checking the presets out: easy.
If you dig how the whole guitar-preamp-effects-amp-cb-mic-thing, setting of your own sound is VERY easy. Just set the thins as you would in "real world", and the sound gets already close. Then fine tune it a bit, and there you are. Due to the fact that there's a maximum of 2 functions per knob, everyone should make it there.
For the more complicated settings with the downloadable Software, it get's more complicated: this software definitely needs a full reprogramming of it's interface, therefore overall only a 8.
Sound Quality
:
10
My "standard"-setup is very basic: Wah, Mesa Dual Recto, old Intellifex, 4x12. Strat-Type Floyd Rose Guitars (Robin, Fenders).
This is what I use for gigs, for Recordings same thing, w/o Intellifex, plus Les Paul and a 2x10" Marshall Valvestate for bright Clean sounds, which the Mesa just can't deliver.
So, now the 1st job for the VAMP2 was: Recording for a Film Score. I had no time for transporting/setting up my rig, so I bought the VAMP literally on my way to the Studio- where I plugged it in, realised that the presets suck, quickly turned the knobs to "recreate" my real gig and I had my basic sound. Don't misunderstand me, It obviously didn't sound like the real one, but I had a sound with a usable quality in about 5 minutes. Normally I have 5 minutes just for placing the microphone correctly!
Later, as I got 7more used to it, i developed a set of about 20 Sounds for me, and all work well. Especially the clean ones, which - let's be honest- don't depend _that_ much on tubes, cabs, etc.
I am more flex-able for recording situations and I'll use it everywhere where not the full high-gain sound is needed (for that, a tube, a 4x12 and a SM57 is just the only way for me...).
BTW, Mode 2 with the dry signal to tape and Wet for having fun playin' ist just real COOL!
No, for the live-Situation: I'm so used to my standard equipment and so happy with my sound, I can't imagine replacing the real thing with Amp-Modelling. I tried it in rehearsal situation, and the VAMP2 just couldn't cut trough. It's sounding (in every setting) always to thin and kind of to much compressed ("dead") in Band context.
Maybe, If I'll for example will have a short gig as supporting Act or so in a small location, where speed counts, I'll give it a try anyway - pluggin it into the FOH and Monitoring, I'll tell you when I have my experience with that.
I mean, why rent a bus just for the 4x12 when you're playing for 30 minutes and no fee?
For the rating: 10, because I really think for about 100$ you just can't ask for more - period.
Reliability
:
9
I don't think the plastic case and cheap knops would stand 5 gigs (even my Mesa can't tour forever - I'm a ****** freak on stage).
But for Studio it's perfect (with the carrying bag), just threat it like all other studio material.
OK, the POD is made of metal, but it cost's 3 times as much.
For the purpose I use it, it gets a 9.
Customer Support
:
5
I'm used to Behringer equipment that way, that I throw it away when it's broke. To cheap to ask for support ;-)
Never really needed support.
For this particullary Item I give it only a 5, because I count the Software for this rating, and this SW really is not that good..
Overall Rating
:
10
Read my opinion in "Sound Quality".
I would get another one if it's stolen - in fact, I'll buy me a second one, the I'll have one always ready in the bag to carry it with me, ant the other one at home, plugged in my stereo for practicin.
Cool device! I can't Imagine how I lived without!
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $139 at Gaytar Center
Submitted 01/14/2003
at 03:53am
by Alex
Email: uracode<at>yahoo dot com
Ease of Use
:
8
This gets an 8 for ease of use, but not because it's any less easy to use than its competition, rather because it has the same shortcomings as its competition. I hate having to hold down a button and turn a knob to access features, but all desktop modelers I've owned have this issue, and I realize it's necessary to keep the size of the unit down.
<P>
Editing is VERY simple. I quickly created a bank of very useful presets for myself, thanks to a clearly written manual. Again, for "deeper" editing, you have to hold buttons and turn knobs, but that's just the way it is.
<p>
Footswitch included, and that's nice, albeit very simplistic.
Sound Quality
:
9
I've owned a good lot of desktop modelers: POD 2.0, Genesis 3, and the Gay-Station. Once I finally found a tube amp I loved (Peavey XXX....OH YEAH!), I ditched the modelers. With my new band, I've moved virtually my entire rig to the band's studio, and was left with....OH GOD! MY 15 YEAR OLD LANEY 50 WATT COMBO!! NOOOOOO!!!!!
<P>
So, I decided to check out the Behringer, because I wasn't going to pay $200 for a modeler I'd already had, and $400 for the POD XT is ridiculous. I made a good decision.
<p>
I run this unit through my PC into a home stereo or I use headphones. Either way, it sounds good...every bit as good as a POD and equal to my old Genesis 3 (notice I'm not mentioning the Gay-Station...I wonder why.)
<p>
I play metal, and typical 80's style shreddy leads, and need a unit that allows me to create good metal rhythm and lead sounds for when I'm writing stuff at home. I really like the high gain models on this unit (even the rectum-fire, though I tend to dislike the sound of rectum-fires), and I like the idea that Behringer went beyond modeling the Soldano SLO and attempted to model an Engl. With the Genesis 3, warping allows you to create something similar to a Bogner or Engl, but the Behringer has it as a stock simulation.
<p>
For those unfamiliar with Bogner and Engl amps...Soldano is basically a hot-rodded Marshall. Bogner and Engl amps sound somewhat like a hot-rodded Soldano. They're absolutely insane sounding, and Behringer captured that quite well.
<p>
It's nice to be able to use this unit as an effects processor only, as the effects are of good quality. What I didn't like was the lack of a compression/delay combo effect, which I remember the POD having.
<p>
Once again, as everyone will say (so why be the only one who doesn't?): IT AIN'T A TUBE AMP.
Reliability
:
8
It's plastic, but has a safe home on my desktop. Behringer includes a carrying case with the unit, which actually has some padding, so at least you won't destroy it or scratch it up if you transport it anywhere.
<P>
You don't gig without a backup, period. I don't plan on using this unit live, though it certainly will see some studio use.
<P>
Treat your equipment properly and it won't break, genius. This would get a 9 or 10 if it had a metal casing (not something I fault Behringer for with the low price tag on this thing).
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Overall Rating
:
10
As stated earlier, I needed something to use at home, and didn't want to pay the money for a POD XT (nor did I want to buy a POD 2.0 or Genesis 3, since I've owned these already...both are good units, by the way).
<p>
I've been playing for about 16 years, and am just as into 80's metal now as I was when I started. My influences are the same now, as well (Yngwie, George Lynch, etc etc etc).
<p>
The best thing about this unit is bang for the buck, without question. None of the competition gives you this much for so little. One might think that the low price tag and all the included stuff equates to sub-par amp models and overall poor sound, but that simply isn't the case.<p>
You really can't go wrong with a POD or Genesis 3 (you can go VERY wrong with a Gay-Station...I don't understand how Yngwie can endorse such absolute garbage), but you just get MORE with the V-Amp 2.
<p>
So, if you're looking for something for direct recording, or something to use for practice when your entire rig is not accessible to you all the time, check this thing out...you'll probably like it.
<P>
I'm giving it a 10 because it is, in fact, a fantastic value.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $139
Submitted 01/11/2003
at 11:38pm
by Mike Puskas
Email: mjpuskas<at>hotmail dot com
Ease of Use
:
10
I purchased this V-Amp from Musician's Friend at an outstanding price of $139. In addition to the unit itself, that bargain price came with a footswitch and a padded (zippered) bag. I'll try to not sound redundant with the features as many people have already commented on them:
The V-Amp 2 reminds me alot of the POD (naturally) but there are some differences. Before I get into too much detail though, I want to first point out that I only owned a POD 2.0, so any comparisons are just to that unit.
The knobs are obviously easy, as you just turn and see an LED of where you are at. The one annoying thing is that the master knob has no LED, numbers, notches, etc. There is no way to know where you have it set. It is not a problem for me because I am just doing home recording, but I could see it getting annoying for a gig. It is a small thing they overlooked.
The unit has small rubber "feet" on the bottom which ensure it stays on your desktop, etc.
When I was reading the manual, I thought I would absolutely hate how you have to get to the cabinet settings, noise gate, etc. but after I actually messed around with it, I found it easy. You basically press two buttons down together and then you can change the settings for the extra features. When you are done messing with the cab settings, noise gate, etc., you hit exit (the tuner) and you are back to the main setup.
One thing that might be annoying to some people is that the settings all stay the same if you turn the knob to the different amps. The good part is that if you like certain treble, bass, gain, etc. settings they stay there. The bad part of that is that if you change from a Dual Rectifer to a clean amp, obviously the gain is going to be cranked on the clean amp, giving it a "dirty" sound. It is not a huge deal because you can save your own settings anyway, etc.
You get 3 manuals with this thing (in 3 different languages), a Behringer sticker, registration card and a reference sheet (very helpful). The reference sheet breaks down what presets are currently loaded in the V-Amp. If you are a rock historian like myself, you will know what type of sound to expect with names like Eddie's tapping, ZZ's lovin, etc.
Sound Quality
:
10
I am currently playing a Gibson Gothic Explorer through the V-Amp and then into my computer's soundcard so I can do home recording. I think the sounds on this unit are outstanding. If this unit would have preceded the POD, then it would have made history. Since it came after, it is considered a "twin" of the POD.
*** MOST IMPORTANT THING *** Let me tell you what the key to this unit's sounds are...the cabs! If you never mess with the cab settings, you are depriving yourself of 448 more sounds (32 amps and 14 different cabs). Trust me, the cabs make a huge difference. When I was playing the recto settings, I was able to go from a Godsmack type of sound to a Slipknot type of sound (more muffled, bassier) by just changing the cab.
The higher gain amps do produce some noise, but the gate is very helpful (even sitting in front of my computer monitor). I think it is important to play with the gain and noise gate to find a compromise.
I think the effects are very good also, but I didn't buy the unit specifically for those. I think the delays and reverbs really add to the sound and are fantastic. I don't really use the other effects, but they will come in handy sometime. The auto way isn't bad but more of a novelty. One thing I found cool is that you can use reverb with any effect. I originally though that the reverb was one of the effect choices, but it is actually a separate knob. Very smart. The key with these effects is to add just a touch to beef up your sound.
I would give this area a 10 but with having to rely on a noise gate for some settings, I can only give it a 9. The amp sounds are on par with the POD, J-Station, etc.
Reliability
:
9
I don't think I'll have problems with this unit. I am only using it for home recording and will keep everything plugged in, etc. I don't find it too irritating that this thing doesn't have an on/off switch. I just yank it out of the wall when I am done playing.
The power cord is strange though. It starts out as a regular two-prong cord, then after a few feet of cord turns into a "wall wart" type box. You follow a bit more cord and the part that plugs into the unit looks exactly like the connection for a computer mouse. I have no idea why they couldnt just use a regular type of adapter. I'll keep mine plugged in all the time, so I don't anticipate problems.
The jacks on mine don't seem loose, etc. but I can see why people are paranoid. It looks like the unit was built and then right before it left the factory, they through a blue "shell" around it. The jacks are not attached to the shell so it feels unstable, etc. With any "computer chip" type of stuff I guess you are bound to have problems sometime.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
I really like Behringer's site. It is great having soundclips, etc. before you try out a unit. They are probably hard to reach, especially for a $139 unit, but I don't think I would ever try to reach them. There are alot of good forums, etc. out there.
Overall Rating
:
10
This unit is outstanding, regardless of the price. The price just makes you feel even better when you hear the amps, etc. If you are not ready to make the leap to a POD XT ($400), this unit is a great buy. If you put it in perspective, a BOSS delay pedal costs more than this thing. The V-Amp can definitely hang with the big boys. The most important thing about this unit is that you have to have patience. Mess with the cab settings. Play with the noise gate. Try everything and really try to expand the sounds. I think the V-Amp 2 is too good a deal for anyone to pass up.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $129
Submitted 01/05/2003
at 05:47pm
by Jason
Ease of Use
:
9
A few trips to tha manual are necessary to learn how to access the second "layer" of features but it really is simple to use.
Sound Quality
:
9
Like all electronic music gear these days, most of the presets are not mainstream usable patches. There are some really great sounds in this thing. Shames my Line 6 AX2 on some of the High Gain Patches. I bought this for my Girlfriend to run through her Keyboard amp for rythm guitar . It runs direct to the mixer and she can monitor it through her amp. Great flexibility to nail guitar sound for covers. I often find myself liking her tone better than mine.
Reliability
:
No Opinion
It's plastic, it's cheesy. I always carry some kind of backup. I will probably pick up a used on on ebay for a back up.SO far so good but it gets babied.
Customer Support
:
2
Behringer gear is disposable. This thing cost 129.00. More than one decent effects pedal. When it breaks I will use it for target practice. I've heard that Behringers support is basically non-exsistant.I've emailed them for other questons with no reply. It's tough to find an email address to even try. but, Line 6 sucks too. 4 months to repair my amp that was fried because they sent me the wrong transformer. I spent 400.00 to repair something that was their fault. LINE 6, YOU SUCK!!!!!!!!!
Overall Rating
:
9
I wanted to get her a pod but LINE 6 would have to improve their customer service and business practices just to suck!!!!! LINE 6 is evil!!!!!!!! I use a few different modeling amps because it is easy to mimic tones for covers. The V-amp does this as well as anything else. What else are you going to buy for 129.00 that does as much? No, It doesn't sound exactly like the amps it supposedly models but chances are neither do any one elses models. I will buy another for headphone jammin just because it kicks ass for 129.00
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $139.00
Submitted 12/29/2002
at 11:12pm
by Heather L.
Ease of Use
:
8
Very easy to get going and dial in a great tone, but stacking effects is a bit cumbersome.
Sound Quality
:
9
I use it for direct recording and the noise gate works great.
While playing it is as clean sounding as anything in ANY price range.
THE BEST stereo effects for a multi-effects guitar unit I've used.
Reliability
:
2
Nope, it's very undependable. I wish this wasn't true but I told another studio musician friend of mine he needed one of these after I first bought mine and his went nuts right after he got it. My V-Amp 2 acts strange most all the time, once you dial in a sound it usually is ok though.
Customer Support
:
1
Wow, I own several Behringer products because the cost vs. sound ratio and I can't believe it is so tough to get a response from them.
After several e-mails I got one response, but after sending the info he asked for I never heard from them again!!I re-sent it several times and still no response. Good luck with all of that.
Overall Rating
:
5
I would've paid three time as much if the thing would just work right. (5 because it does sound great, but then again I have no proof any of these things work right)
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: 140 (euro)
Submitted 12/26/2002
at 07:39am
by Anonymous
Ease of Use
:
8
As with the POD, dialing tones on the V-Amp is very easy: just select a preset as a starting point, and use the classic gain and tone controls found in any guitar amp. When you have found the right setting, select a bank where to save the new preset, and keep the preset button pressed for a couple seconds. That's all. However, deeper editing needs the user's manual, since indications on the display are next to none.
Feature-wise, the lack of a power switch and the crazy placement of connectors is one of the few minuses, together with the nearly unreadable grey silkscreens for second functions, and the so-so tuner.
Sound Quality
:
8
I'm using a modified strat-like solid-body, with two mini-humbuckers and a center single coil, directly connected to the V-Amp. The V-Amp goes to a Yamaha 01V, and from there to a Mac through an ADAT interface.
Even with the Master set to the maximum, the thing is not noisy at all. Behringer is know for replacing components during the life of a product, so maybe I've been luckier than others, and my V-Amp is fitted with nicer components than theirs. There is noise and hum generated by the various simulations, but this is that touch of realism that is the juice of amp simulation.
While I find the amp and cabinet simulators are doing a good job at imitating the originals (at least, the ones I know, like the JCM800, the Fenders, the Mesa's, the Soldano), I find the FX processor very weak. Not really a problem for me, since I prefer to record in Config S2, where the left channel just carries the dry signal.
I optimize my signal chain, by keeping all outputs as hot as I can, but the V-Amp (like the POD) remains rather thin and flat, compared to a true amp. Anyway, it does its job very well in two fields: songwriting, and live gigging with minor setups. In these cases, it's very easy to fake even an expert listener.
Reliability
:
No Opinion
I've had this thing for a couple weeks, now. Too soon to say about its reliability. It's plastic, and jacks are of the cheaper type. A little care may make it last forever.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Never dealt with them.
Overall Rating
:
10
I play mostly degenerated species of hard rock and metal, with some fingerpicking added. Sort of 'Sting meets Ministry'. The V-Amp doesn't deliver the needed power, but is a good fake before recording a true amp for the final take. Clean simulations are nice, but I prefer to use better FX processors for this task.
I've been playing as an amateur for years, but am still an absolute beginner. The V-Amp is more a songwriting tool than my professional companion. For the price, it is foolish not to have one of these things!
The price difference with a POD is fully justified by the more robust construction of the latter. For spare-time players like me, price does matter against reliability, so the V-Amp is the nice smally toy that doesn't tax your bank account.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $120
Submitted 12/23/2002
at 08:17pm
by Chris
Email: nucis122<at>hotmail dot com
Ease of Use
:
8
Like someone else said, you can get this things sounding good right out of the box. After about a half an hour with the manual, I was ready to rock, so it's not that big of a deal, you just need to take the time to read it. It's easy to edit patches, just hold down a button for two seconds, and your ready. The only thing I'm a little confused about is how to upgrade it, and to put dl patches onto it. Other than that, it's all good.
Sound Quality
:
9
I haven't tested this thing on my crate w/EMG's yet. But I have played it on my Gretsch, and it's sweet. I just have been playing it through my stereo, but through my amp, it sounds just as good. And it's so quiet, and what noise there is, the noise gate knocks out. All the effects are sweet. Some of them are a little weak, they need a little more balls. I don't have a lot experience with effects, but they sounded good to me. My amp is a fender m80. You can get just about anyone's sound out of it. All of the amp models seem great. I haven't really gotten a chance to test out the metal one's yet, but I'm sure they are as good as the clean. The clean sounds on this thing are beautiful. No remember all of this is coming from a poor muscian. I have never had any experience with a tube amp, or a lot of effects pedals, but for the money, and things, this is an awesome piece of equipment.
Reliability
:
7
Okay, flaws. This thing could definately use a metal casing. And the jacks are bad, if they were sturdier it would be better. "But if you take care of it it will take care of you" If you don't kick it or step on it, or throw it, it should be okay. The thing shouldn't be on the ground anyway....
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
I have never deatlt with them
Overall Rating
:
9
I play metal, classic rock, spanish stuff, lol. This thing does it all, like I said, I havent' really busted out the distortions yet, but from what I've heard they are good, and I'm sure they will be. I have been playing for almost 5 years. I have a gretsch hollowbody, crate les paul, fender m80, and a digitech metalmaster. If it was stolen I would buy it again in a heartbeat. I love all the amps and most of the effects, the style of it, the sound, just pretty much everything. LIke I said it lacks a sold design. This thing definatley helps me make some beautiful music, it like, makes you sound better. It's hard to explain, but it's just an awesome piece of equipment.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $129.00
Submitted 12/20/2002
at 06:52pm
by taebor
Ease of Use
:
9
This thing is a blast!!! I love the gizmo!! You have to cycle the presets and adjust some to your taste to unlock it's potential, but I am a die hard tube fanatic and it does a really nice job of capturing a vintage Marshall head and cab for recording! I use preset "1" and play all day and night on it!!! Easy, easy , easy!
Sound Quality
:
9
I use a 77 Gibson Les paul and 2 marshall 100 watters and this is the easiest way to get the tone into your PC. Does, it have the "feel" of a tube amp? No way...not even close, but does it do a good job at recording? You bet!!
Reliability
:
7
I would not play live with it as I prefer the real deal. Tube amps will never die, but this is a great tool for recording!
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
N/A
Overall Rating
:
10
Not a live use gizmo, but for recording, I love it. I am in awe of its usability!! For $129.00 or $500, this thing kills!!! Please do yourself a favor and try it...
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: N/A
Submitted 12/14/2002
at 10:27pm
by Anonymous
Ease of Use
:
7
I think that I am the only other person on this board that thinks this thing is a piece of crap. Either that or I just lave a lemon... It sounds like I'm playing in a shoebox. Really any other piece of gear I own smokes this thing! What a dissapointment.
Sound Quality
:
3
Cheap sounding "Models" of real amps. some sounds were useable though. There is no MoJo in this box... THIN SOUNDS GET ME MAD. IMHO a lame entry from Behringer who'se mixers I use and like. I along with seemingly only a few on this board, cannot find a use for this piece. I never trusted these digitoys much anyway. ANALOG IS THE ONLY WAY TO GO. However, My old guitar player had the POD and from my perspective it passed... but now that I remember ... there was that kazoo type quality to the sound. For example... when I see a band, it's kind of easy to hear if the guitar player uses a Digital "Modeler" . It jumps right out at you clean or dirty. That Nasal sound. and to me Nasal is Lame. And let's face it.. this thing uses a much lower sample rate than the POD or J Station. So it's supposed to sound better?
Reliability
:
8
I'll give an 8 as props to Behringer for putting out "mostly" quality gear for little $$
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Overall Rating
:
3
Overall I think it is weak is the fact that it sounds weak. Rhythem work is a chore/bore cause it's overcompressed and muddy and just no fun. It's alright for solos but still with that middy kazoo quality. I guess it's "Great" or sounds "un-believable" to some, but I prefer the real McCoy. I still can't believe how many of you gush over this $130 toy (sorry Uli)... Buy a Modded Distortion or Overdrive and become addicted to playing again. :) Much Love and Happy Holidays!
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: 230 (can)
Submitted 12/13/2002
at 03:58pm
by DC
Ease of Use
:
10
This unit is very easy of use. About 95% of the options are on the front panel. It's pretty straightforward. WYSIWYG interface. Editing patches is easy with the program. The manual is translated in several languages. even though it is not very usefull.
Sound Quality
:
10
I have a godin LG and a Peavey ultra 112. The unit itself is not noisy at all since it has a noisegate. The effects are very good to my hear. I finally got the delay I've been looking for for so long. The amp sims are very good. Compared to a POD this baby wins easily. About 70 % of the amp models are usefull...some sound kinda distant so I don't use them but they do sound good. I'm playing blues, shred, metal and punk and it always gave me the soubnd I wa slooking for.
Reliability
:
5
this thing doesn'T seem to remind my settings....The chip into it is kinda fucked right now so whenever I open it I have to reset all the factory presets cuz evertything is gone ( even factory presets) this might be caused by the way I used to plug the v-amp on. I would not use it live thoough....I have a powerfull amp for this
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
never tried
Overall Rating
:
9
It works fine, I love the sound, it beats everything in it's price range I wopudl recommand it to you! great TOOL for practicing aloen at home.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $129.00
Submitted 12/04/2002
at 03:38pm
by TONY WALZ
Email: nytony007 at cs<dot>com
Ease of Use
:
8
Sound Quality
:
9
Reliability
:
8
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Overall Rating
:
10
THIS BOX IS GREAT. PREVIOUSLY ENDORSED ZOOM FOR QUALITY/VALUE RATIO BUT BEHRINGERS V-AMP2 SUPPLYS ALL TONING MOST SMALL TIME GUITARISTS REQUIRE AND FACE IT THATS MOST OF US.AT THIS PRICE YOU CAN GET STADIUM SOUND IN YOUR BASEMENT OR IN SMALL ROOMS. IF YOU'RE SANTANA SPEND THOUSANDS ON EFFECTS-IF YOU JUST WANT YOUR GUITAR TO HAVE THE SUSTAIN AND HARMONICS HE GETS, BUY THIS.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: 100 (pounds)
Submitted 11/21/2002
at 11:45am
by Johnny boy
Email: safebloodrin<at>yahoo dot co dot uk
Ease of Use
:
8
Its so easy to use. A number of basc dials, LEDs and buttons make this unit so simple to use even for a starting musician
Sound Quality
:
8
The beauty of it is it pretty much sounds as same on my fender strat and my Gibson flying V. The sound is a bit weak at first and you really have to crabk it up but when you do the budgie will die! ts well cool for wah wah so you cn play some funky seventies dance tunes and the distortion sounds like a building falling down so its cool for all you metallers out there.
Reliability
:
10
she hasn't let me down yet!
Customer Support
:
9
I ordered this over the phone and it turns out that the guy was a rather dpiffing bloke and actually knew what he was talking about.
Overall Rating
:
9
I play in a ska band with a few mates and it kicks the preverbial arse when it comes to clean crisp sounds (you can actualy pick specific amp models to suit your sound) and the wah wah is sound when it comes to the obligatory solo in the middle eight of a tune. overall a banging piece of equipment.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: 1.350.000 (extreme $)
Submitted 11/18/2002
at 09:05am
by bobby bettencourt
Ease of Use
:
9
too easy for musician who use this small effect! just plug, turn and play
Sound Quality
:
10
IT'S GREAT! i Found many sounds here! I use ibanez s with evolution di marzio picksup. you may got a many great musician sounds. like steve vai, js, nuno bettencourt, bang paul, yngwie, jimi hendrix, eric clapton, steve morse, etc.
just choose your preamps and you'll get the 90% sound like the original amps. Need a metal just turn knob to rectified / american hi gain, Need sound bluesy, just turn it on american / british blues, Need a jazzy/clean u can use v-amp clean. what a great sounds! no noise at all in this v-amp if u use the right cable. i like to play some extreme song like hip today, decadance dance, rip and other and i got the nuno's sound in this effect. for information I DIDN'T USE ANY AMP, i just use a common speaker which is made by my dad. why i use any amp if i can found many amps in v-amps 2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Reliability
:
8
NO ! i wouldn't depend on it!
Customer Support
:
8
Overall Rating
:
9
till this day it is the best!
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $204
Submitted 11/17/2002
at 05:08pm
by quattro_xxph
Ease of Use
:
9
If you use digital multi-effects pedals(the types that store presets in banks and patches) then this should be a snap. Reading the manual also helps (duh!). Very tweakable!
Sound Quality
:
10
I use it for home recording. Setup: Yamaha RGX>V-Amp 2>Audiophile 2496. Sounded a little cold at first, but that was before I monkeyed around with the cabinet settings. This little gadget is very convincing. It has 32 amp simulations, and I have tried only a few as of this writing (only had it for 3 days). The Brit Hi Gain (Marshall sim) is wonderful. I can't believe how many ways you can make that sim sound just by tweaking the cabinets and gain parameters! And it sounds so warm! The other sims aint bad, and for anyone to appreciate these sounds, you just got to hear them and monkey with them. The effects are ok, and having the reverb separate from all other effects is one of the best things I have ever seen done to these all-in-one packages. It has noise, but so do real amps so that can't be a complaint. Besides, the noise gate is effective, but dont complain if you need to compromise some sustain with it when using single coils. Its not the V-Amp's fault that single coil pick ups are naturally buzzy. The presets also aint all that bad (some are actually useful) and are a good jumping point for beginners. I haven't even touched the tip of the iceberg of this thing and Im already impressed. Like with all good things, it requires patience in tweaking (and its not all that hard). I cant believe that anyone with a little patience will be disappointed by the sounds this thing can give.
Does it sound like a real amp? YES it sounds LIKE real amps with real speakers, but NO it doesn't sound EXACTLY like them. If you want a real as in REAL tube/valve sound, then buy the real thing (cabinets and all). The V-Amp2 is not a tube amp... but yes it does sound very close to one (or oneS!). Home recording enthusiasts will definitely benefit form this thing. Not only will you get good convincing sounds (depending on your tweaking ability of course) but you dont have to disturb the neighbors by miking an amp. How cool is that?!
Reliability
:
8
I've had it for 3 days as stated above. I've used other Behringer gear, they seem pretty ok to me. Have never had any problems with their other gear so I wont expect any here. Don't gig much, but If I do, I dont think I'll use this. I'll keep this strctly for desktop recording use... but just because of the great sound quality and that spanking metal pedal I might just try.
Customer Support
:
10
They have a nice local dealer here. If this broke, I'll just trot down to them and get it fixed. No problem.
Overall Rating
:
10
I play original compositions exclusively, and this thing is giving me tons of ideas on what to parts write. Its easy to imagine those guitar parts when you can hear how you want them to sound. Its like daydreaming you had a Soldano while actually listening to one through your OWN guitar. I have been playing on and off for the last 14 years and I have had my experiences with stomp boxes, digital effects and all sorts of amps (both bad and good). This thing is all of those combined (to a degree of course). I see nothing about this thing I can possibly hate. If it were stolen may God have mercy on the thief's soul if I ever get my hands on him. But I wont live a day without it, so I'll definitely go to my dealer the next day and get another one. A bang for the buck? Biggest bang I ever heard!
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: 158 (Euros)
Submitted 11/15/2002
at 08:22pm
by Enric
Ease of Use
:
9
No es dificil obtener cualquier sonido que este en tu cabeza,si trabajas un poco todos los parametros de tono basico(eq,gain,cabinets..)y los efectos;los presets de fabrica son un poco artificiales en general,pero nada que no se pueda corregir con un poco de trabajo.El manual es muy completo y en todos los idiomas;es posible actualizar la eprom mediante un fichero que se puede obtener de www.behringer.com,pero necesitas una eprom nueva(no es flasheable).
Sound Quality
:
9
Soy basicamente un guitarrista "de habitacion" y toco usualmente con varios amigos y canto de manera habitual con una banda de rock duro con la que hacemos versiones de hits rockeros desde los 70's hasta hoy(Metallica,Kiss,Purple,AC/DC,Priest...):Utilizo el V-amp para grabar con mi PC o bien en el local de ensayo,conectado directamente a una consola y mis guitarras son una PRS EG del '91 s-s-h pastillas originales(Duncans bobina simple y PRS HFS humbucker) ,una Vigier Excalibur supra h-s-h(DiMarzios Paf Pro-Fast Track,creo-y Tone Zone),una Ibanez Roadstar II del '86 super modificada con EMG's s-s-h y otra Ibanez de modelo desconocido en la linea de las Jem,mas sencilla,pero con un mastil de ensue?o,vibrato Schaller/Floyd Rose II y pastillas h-s-h(Humbucker original-Boston bobina simple,hecha por Gotoh,creo-y Dimarzio Fred en el puente);con todas ellas no he podido encontrar todavia ni un mal tono;el ruido que se puede apreciar en algunos presets,sin ser excesivo,es consecuencia,a mi entender del propio modelado del ampli de valvulas(el sonido,en su origen TIENE RUIDO),y se ve minimizado si la guitarra esta bien apantallada y te alejas de fuentes de radiacion electronica (fluorescentes,monitores de ordenador...);los efectos son correctos y de calidad aceptable (seamos sinceros,?que necesitamos para que una guitarra suene bien?,pues unos pocos efectos de calidad aceptable y TONO,TONO,TONO,y esto ultimo lo tiene el V-amp a raudales);el unico defecto a nivel calidad sonora que encuentro es que hay un cierto retardo poco apreciable,pero existente,si utilizas combinaciones de efectos complejas,p.ej,chorus+delay con algun modelado de tono de alta ganancia,como si al procesador le "costase" procesar tanta informacion,pero por el precio ?que mas se puede pedir?.La sensacion al conectarte a este cacharro es muy estimulante:No soy un purista de las valvulas,pero cada cosa en su sitio;en el local tengo un combo Carlton Camel 50 w con un altavoz Celestion y el otro guitarrista un Cabezal Marshall JCM series de 50 W y una pantalla Marshall con 4x12 Celestions,y realmente,no te puedes medir con eso,pero el V-amp 2 les llega muy cerca a traves de la consola (una Inkel barata) la P.A que utilizamos para voces (2 JBL EON de 150 w cada una,autoamplificadas):lo de la frecuencia de muestreo de 31 khz que esgrimen algunos SNOBS del tono es una soberana ESTUPIDEZ:?que frecuencias es capaz de entregar una guitarra electrica?;con una frecuencia de muestreo como la que tiene el v-amp 2,llegamos hasta los 16 khz(si el teorema de Nyquist no falla),lo cual es mas que suficiente para una guitarra.En general una unidad muy completa,y esto viene de un usuario que previamente ha tenido el tan cacareado POD(si,tambien sonaba muy bien,pero tenia menos cosas que el V-amp 2,y era muy caro,ademas de en mi opinion,mas esteril,quirurgico en las saturaciones que el v-amp 2)
Reliability
:
6
Bueno,la construccion es un tema aparte;el POD es solido como una roca,y aunque el V-Amp 2 esta hecho de un plastico muy resistente,no se si aguantaria una caida,asi que si tocas por ahi muy a menudo,considera este hecho,los accidentes ocurren aunque seas muy cuidadoso con tu equipo;como ya he dicho,en mi caso uso el v-amp 2 en mi casa o en el local y no me ha fallado nunca,aunque solo hace unos 3 meses que lo tengo.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
No he tenido ningun contacto con la compa?ia,solo he registrado el aparato a traves de su website.
Overall Rating
:
9
Suelo tocar rock y blues tengo 37 a?os y toco la electrica dede los 16(con la guitarra espa?ola comence un poco antes),pero siempre como una aficion;he tenido varios amplis(Marshall Lead 12 a transistores-!que gran ampli,es una lastima que lo vendiese!,Gorilla gg-40,transistores-no era muy bueno pero hizo su trabajo-,y actualmente Carlton Camel 50 w todo valvula-impresionante que un combo suene asi,simple pero efectivo-)y en cuanto a procesadores un Zoom 9002-todavia lo tengo;un poco limitado en cuanto a saturaciones,pero no tiene malos efectos-,un POD que me robaron unos cacos que entraron a mi casa-mi primer contacto con el sonido modelado-,una Alesis Quadraverb GT del '91-la seccion de previo y saturaciones bastante pobre,pero los efectos simplemente excelentes-,y actualmente el V-amp 2 que reemplazo al POD y con ventaja,a mi juicio.Encuentro a faltar un interruptor on/off,pero tampoco es algo que condicione mucho;el rebaje en la parte inferior es todo un detalle para montar el v-amp encima de un ampli de guitarra (!el POD bailaba encima del asa de transporte!).En fin,es muy estimulante tocar con este trastito ya sea a traves de auriculares,conectado a una P.A,a tu hi-fi domestico,a un ampli de guitarra o para grabar en tu multipista de toda la vida o al disco duro de tu PC.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $130
Submitted 11/15/2002
at 07:28pm
by Dave
Email: music123abc at yahoo<dot>com
Ease of Use
:
8
The V-Amp2 isn't too difficult to use. Twist the knobs and go. Storing presets is simple and there are enough banks to store as many sounds as you want. Midi was a plus as well as free software downloadable from the berhinger website. I think the V-amp is global because there is a manual for pretty much every language.
Sound Quality
:
4
Here is where I have a problem. I have to agree with an earlier post. The sound was totally disappointing and I don't get why everyone here rates it so high! I really did give this unit a chance and spent hours tweaking, but I never did get a good sound. I would think I would have a sound, but when I rehearsed with a buddy, his little crate amp with an ancient multi-effects pedal blew this thing away! My setup was - Gibson Les Paul Special SL to V-amp2 to Roland KC-300. I am totally into digital amp modelling because I believe in the more bang for the buck, and eventually they will get the tone and feel down perfect, but this thing is just not up to par. It is a great price and you get tons of amps, cabs, models, effects, etc., but not the quality!
Reliability
:
7
Made of plastic, but very reasonably priced. Take care of your gear and it will take care of you. I agree with other posts, a metal casing would be nice.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
No experience here, can't say.
Overall Rating
:
5
I play mainly rock and alternative (I hate classifying what style! It's just rock and roll man!). Been playing for around 3 years. I'm not looking for a digital modeling amp/pedal to exactly replicate the amp its supposed too. I just look for a good sound and tone. If digital modelling is your flavor, do yourself a favor and LOOK AT ALL YOUR OPTIONS!!!! I ended up selling this and I picked up 2 great sounding digital modelling pedals - sansamp tri ac and the hughes and kettner tubeman. Even though these things might not have as many features as the V-Amp, they nail 3 amp tones just right. Good luck finding quality tones on the V-AMP! It just wasn't for me!
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: Can ($120)
Submitted 11/09/2002
at 09:14pm
by DSawchyn
Email: spoolinv6 at hotmail<dot>com
Ease of Use
:
9
Quite easy in fact. The lighted knobs are great and quite visible even when the stage lights are down. Making your own patches are easy as pie after about an hour of goofing with the settings. Great footpedal and bag that came with it as well(hint hint POD).
Sound Quality
:
No Opinion
I have an Frankenstein Ibanez RG with a Fred in the bridge and Paf Pro in the Neck (can you tell I'm a Satriani/Vai fan?) and am running the V-Amp through the power amp section of a Peavey 5150 (perfect match since it totally bypasses all preamp functions of the amp). It can be noisy on certain amp settings, but hey...that's what the built in noise gate is for.....and it can take care of it quite well. Effects are not bad. Delay and Chorus and useful. They about the only ones I ever use. Maybe abit of compression in the cleaner tones. No, it really doesn't sound like a tube amp, but it does a great job mimicking the important qualities of each. I have played some of the amps that it models and does recreate their personality, to a point. But it is just a little plastic box that is really quite inexpensive, so let's not start complaining about little details. I find that about 80% of the models are really quite useful ( I like the cleaner ones myself, not much of a metalhead).
As far as rating the sound quality, that is in the ear of the listener, right? It's all relative. So for a true rating, try one out in the store with a good set of headphones or into a power amp long enough so you can get over the initial buzz of having a new toy and really listen to what's coming out of it.
But I really like the way this things. :=)
Reliability
:
No Opinion
Had trouble with my presets disappearing on startup after about 6 months. After a new memory battery replacement and unplugging the unit AT THE WALL AND NOT THE V-AMP, things are great again. Plastic construction seems strong enough. But please Behringer, make the next version with a power switch and better cord connection! I'm always paranoid I'm going to rip the thing out one day by accident.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Never needed it so far, we'll see.
Overall Rating
:
8
I play all kinds of musical styles in a worship band and I can say this thing performs very well for the price. I either run it into the 5150 or straight into the PA. Either way I can dial up an extremely usable sound in a matter of minutes. As compared to a POD, it seems to have abit more....kick to it....not as dull.
Get one and you won't be disappointed!
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: 99 (Pounds)
Submitted 10/19/2002
at 05:24pm
by Roger Bayliss
Ease of Use
:
10
Out of the box there are many sounds that are built into the 125 patches that can be used and are of a good quality but each to their own tastes. Once you find some you like, editing the sound to your own liking is very straightforward and the interface on this unit is a breeze. To make your own sounds just dial in an amp model then add reverb and effects to suit, then find a spare patch and store with a two second push. The LEDs are a great feature indicating current and most recent settings,
Sound Quality
:
9
I use mine mainly on my desktop with headphones and play my Mexican Strat through it. I have also recorded with the unit into my computer sound card line-in with good results. My main musical preference is to play the old Shadows/Hank Marvin tunes along to my backing tracks. I therefore use the Vox AC30TB simulation mainly. To my hears on headphones this is very good considering the price of this unit and its competitors. I find when I attack the strings hard with the pick the unit responds very nicely and some nice harmonics come through. I have used other amp sims as well and they standup well to my ears. The separate reverb section is great, especially the spring reverb, but would probably be better still with plate reverb added. The effects are also very good and I use the tape echo simulation a lot. They are all quite good except mainly the wha effect which I have only used the auto wha.
When I bought mine I tried the POD 2 and would have been happy to pay the extra price for the POD but to my ears the POD seemed duller and less responsive and the effects were not as good a quality. I have played guitar for nearly 30 years and this is the nicest sounding unit I could find for the money.
Reliability
:
No Opinion
Had no problems since June 2002 when I bought it and played it several times a week for several hours at a time with no problems. Its case is plastic and would probably be okay for gigging as its not a floor unit.
Customer Support
:
8
The company website offers good support and if you want to you can even flash the EPROM and upgrade.
Overall Rating
:
No Opinion
This unit gets a good overall rating particulary as a practice tool and for home recording. I have tried it as a front end for my Crate GX212 combo and some other small practice amps and its not as good as on the headphones but nevertheless it is good.
Its a well thought out piece of kit well designed and specified and the price is marvelous given that it comes with the gig bag and footswitch as well, not to mention midi control. If anything it could be improved with a proper on/off switch, plate reverb would be nice and multihead delay perhaps. A metal case maybe.
I play a lot of Hank Marvin style instumentals mainly. I particulary like 2x12 combos and this unit models most of the top ones very well. I cannot afford the #1100 pounds for a VOX AC30TB yet, but this supplys me with a great alternative! I recommend you give it fair try like I did and I think most will like it. Well done Behringer.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $129
Submitted 10/17/2002
at 09:45pm
by Anonymous
Ease of Use
:
8
This unit is PACKED w/ useful, good tones!!! The presets are good, and easy to edit to your taste.
Editing patches is easy, u gotta love knobs :-)
Theres a 3 band EQ, plus a useful and powerful gain control.
Well written manual, provides all the uselful info, like hooking up the VAmp to CPU, amp, miker etc.
Easy to follw, beginers should have no problem after poking around a bit.
Sound Quality
:
10
My guitar is aself built mut w/ an ESP alder body, neck, EMG's and a Schaller Floyd Rose. I mainly play Heavy stuff, but also goof around w/ some blues and jazz stuff.
If you play metal, or hard rock, you gotta hear the gain and seriously good tones on this unit.
The VAmp gives me access to a room full of expensive amp tones in a little $130 bundle. I LOVE this unit.
Reliability
:
No Opinion
Cant speak for reliabiltry yet, i havent had it more than a week.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Havent dealt w/ them yet, hope not too.
Overall Rating
:
10
I maostly play metal (Ozzy, metallica, pantera etc)
I have been playing for 17 years. In that time I've owned over 20 guitars, 15 amps, and more rack effects than I care to remember :-)
This unit blows away EVERY multi effect/preamp/amp sim I have ever used. Hands down, it wins. So many great tones at ur fingertips; you gotta check this puppy out.
If mine were stolen, I'd run to the store and grab another after I imposed some street justice on the fool that gaffed my gear.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $129.00
Submitted 10/04/2002
at 11:28pm
by Ed
Ease of Use
:
7
It's easy to use & versatile. Slight learning curve but worth the effort.
Sound Quality
:
7
Sounds somewhat digital when recording but that can be fixed later with mastering software or a TC Electronic 96K. I use it live through a console. I just set 1 patch (5 presets for my electric guitar) and use another patch for my acoustic. I would recommend setting complete patches in advance for every guitar you're going to use or you could run into feedback problems. ie:patch 1 PRE A RYTHYM B LEAD CWAW D E TREBLY Rockabilly all the sounds are there. You don't need the midi controller. Good enough for live and beats lugging guitar amps around.
Reliability
:
7
I use a back-up. It's been reliable for about 1 year and cheap enough to replace on a dime like a disposable razor blade.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
N/A at these prices get real.
Overall Rating
:
7
I play contemporary rock and pop. You can run vocals through the aux in or loopers. I've plugged a mic into the input to get distorted reverbed vocals for recording. I really love this little box. It does create some noise depending on the gain of the distortion but it's all tweakable. The sounds are there. You can even smash it up against the wall if your blood sugar gets low and it's no big loss. This is the disposable razorblade of preamps. I'm on my 50th shave now.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: #90 (GBP)
Submitted 10/02/2002
at 12:58am
by Costas
Ease of Use
:
9
I found the unit very easy to use straight from the box. However, the manual is very concise and all in all, this is a fantastic package when you consider the sound quality, editing options and features, price and the bag, tough footswitch and adaptor included. The layout and user friendlyness is second to none. The lights around the knobs show you exactly where your settings are - an excellent inclusion.
I'm using a Nobels MIDI pedal but will be purchasing the dedicated Behringer pedal because not only does it give me ultimate control over the unit, it has a mains plug (bye bye annoying wall plug adaptors), has both a volume and expression pedal built in and has relay switches which can channel switch you amps - I believe there are 2 of these. Best of all, it's retailing in the UK for about #80-90. have you seen the price of the Roland F200 and the POD mother board?
Sound Quality
:
9
I compared this to a POD, Line and Johnson Amps and found the sound to be more pleasing and organic (to my ears anyway). I was blown away by the amp sounds and whilst I haven't recorded with the unit, my best results have come from hooking it up to a Valvestate 80:80 Power amp and running it through 2 Mesa Boogie 1x12 cabs loaded with Celestion Vintage 30's. Results through my 100 watt Fender Roc Pro were ok but a tad noisy. This brings me nicely to the noise gate which is effective on those high gain settings. Let's face it, you would expect some noise when running Rectifier/Soldano type amps at those high gain settings and I found the unit to be no more nosier then the real things.
The effects are very good quality and worked extremely well when run through my amp with the preamp models and cabinet siumlation switched off. You've got most common effetcs and combinations included. Only thing I would have liked to have seen is an octaver or pitchshifter but that may follow in a future upgrade. The amp models are fairly convincing and put you in the "ball park" of the amp you're morphing. However, some tweaking will be required and if anything, I believe the treble needs to be tamed at times.
I play in a function band and rely on a variety of sounds from the cleanest cleans,to compressed funk, acoustic settings (v.good), jazz, blues (R.Ford/Carlton) and Neal Schon/S.Lukather/Dan Huff type sounds - this unit does it all and my guitars are PRS Custom 24, Fender Strat (customised to include a S.Duncan Little '59 in the bridge and a GK2A Roland pickup) and a Yamaha APX4 elecrto-acoustic.
Reliability
:
9
I've only had the unit for 4 months and whilst it's made from plastic, it seems ok. The adaptor gets hot but my sets normally last anywhere between 4-6 hours!!!! My back up is the Fender amp previously mentioned but I may well buy another one as a spare. Two of these still come in #30 ($70) cheaper than a POD Version 2 and sound better.
Customer Support
:
10
The company were great. Having made direct comparisons with the POD and in view of the fact that I'm using this with a rackmounted power amp, I wondered if a rackmounted version would be available. The company got back to me within 3 days and said there were no plans at present but they would put it to their engineers and they'd monitor custom demand and interest.
Overall Rating
:
10
This unit suits my needs very well and I just wish there was a rack version. My previous gear was a complete Marshall Rack system(JMP1, JFX etc) but it fell short on many sounds. I can emulate the sounds of my heroes and have received compliments from many people. My favourite sounds are the AOR types in this unit is perfect for Journey, TOTO etc and really takes you back to that 80-90's scene. I managed to nail John Sykes' Whitesnake sound but it does so much more as well and at the other end of the spectrum.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $129
Submitted 10/01/2002
at 11:40pm
by SpeedMetal
Email: speedmetal at yngwie<dot>com
Ease of Use
:
7
It is quite easy to use, it has knobs to adjust everything, 5 patch buttons, and bank up/down buttons. It also has a tuner button and a tap button to adjust tempo on the delays and mod efx.
Sound Quality
:
8
I use this with a Gibson Flying V into the V-Amp -> Power Amp -> Rogue 2x12 cab with 75w celestions. I dunno if it faithfully reproduces the sounds of the amps it is trying to model because I dont own any of them, but regardless of that this unit can still produce good sounds.
The high gain amps produce a tight warm sound perfect for any kind of metal and the clean models sounds as they should. I can't really comment on the blues amps cause I don't use them much. The cabinet sim is really cool, essentially you can take one of the modelled amps and get 15 more sounds out of it by playing with the cab sims, very cool.
The effects are pretty good, the chorus and flanger are a little thin but still effective. The compressor is barely noticeable, but the chorus/compressor is very nice. The tremolo and rotary are pretty good but a little stale. The delays are probably the best at doing what they shoud, as far as effects go.
As a direct recording unit it isnt quite as good as it should be since that is what is is marketed as, but it sounds tremendous through my live rig, and I can easily get a very believable Metallica/Death/In Flames/Slayer sound out of this thing. Having it run through a real speaker cab adds some much needed definition to the tone of this unit.
Reliability
:
4
I dropped it onto my desk once from about 3-4 inches above the desktop and it messed up all of my patches but I reset the unit and fixed my patches, also the pins in the power cord bend easily and if you plug it in with them bent it WILL mess up your patches. This can be fixed by reseting the unit and straightening the pins, but it is a pain notheless. I have used this live without a backup and would again, as long as you soundcheck and make sure the patches are fine it wont give you any problems WHILE it is plugged in, but every time you turn it on you need to make sure all your sounds still sound like they should.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Haven't dealt with them.
Overall Rating
:
7
I play heavy metal, and I am a ringer in many local bands from time to time so I need something that can cover all the bases, this unit does it pretty well. Like I said before I sounds killer through my live rig, but lacks somewhat in the direct recording dept. All in all it was a worthwhile purchase, especially since it came with a free carrying bag and footswitch, however whether or not it gets stolen or lost I will be replacing it very soon with an Oberheim GM-400 which is only about $70 more than this unit and absolutely mops the floor with this unit in all departments. So if you're a diehard Behringer fan or something then buy this, it should serve you pretty well, but if you want the best then get a GM-400, it does everything.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $113.00
Submitted 09/30/2002
at 10:48pm
by LEADGTRPLAYR
Email: LEADGTRPLAYR at YAHOO<dot>COM
Ease of Use
:
10
Well first things first you need to learn how to use this thing.Editing is a breeze once you figure it out,manual is very useful.
Sound Quality
:
9
ok here's the deal as far as a SETUP goes i run a lil studio for myself,recorded 2 or 3 heavy metal bands,2 out of 3 guitarists wanted to record with the v-amp instead of their rigs miked up in all their glory!The noise gate on this one i swaer is not too much better than on v-amp1 they are both useable.I do hard disc recording and i like to add the fx after on my computer but i have recorded with fx and got pleasing results.Funny thing that gets me is you get these people who own 1000$ tube amps and they try or do use 1 of these in front of it.Hell i TRIED it on my Randall Protube 2000 100 watt all tube head,that was a waste of time.THE V-AMP2 is a VIRTUAL AMP..Meaning in the right enviorment this will do what it's suppose to do,Model Amps.By the way for those of you who do not know the<RIGHT ENVIORMENT>is recording on your computer period.THE AMP SOUNDS ARE AWESOME
Reliability
:
10
Yes the input jack on this thing does suck,just be careful VERY and you SHOULD be OK.I just bought V-AMP2 and have owned the first one for about a year and never had any and i do mean any probleams at all with my particular unit.Gig?You Say? NOT WHEN your running dual tube 100-watt halfstacks!! Can you say CHUG?
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
I own like 5 pieces of gear from them,NEVER had any problems,never had to deal with them either.
Overall Rating
:
10
I play Heavy Metal,this is the best amp modeler i've heard so far.So you can forget about your GAY STATIONS or your PEA'S AND POD'S or your LINE SHITS for this kinda cash pleez you cannot go wrong!If it were lost or stolen somebody you can bet your ass is gettin a BEATING!!I LOVE BEHRINGER PRODUCTS!As far as a wish list one other axe slinger hit one of the best ideas this thing needs a RACKMOUNT,BUT i got another one for ya A 12AX7 PREAMP TUBE would do this amp simulator justice. KEEP ON PLUCKIN!
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: 150 (euro)
Submitted 09/30/2002
at 09:20am
by Andy
Ease of Use
:
9
How easy is it to get a good sound out of it? I think it's impossible. How about Editing patches? Easy. How is the manual for it? Good. This is the V-amp 2 model.
Sound Quality
:
5
Now, this is where the Behringer V-Amp 2 really lacks! I just can't understand why everybody here thinks this is something good sounding. Is it because it has so many features and things to tweak with? I was ONLY tweaking with it, but never satisfied to the point I was happy to play with it. It has only got a sampling rate at 31,125 kHz! For me that quality simply is not enough. I wasn't aware of that before I bought it, so it was a huge dissapointment to me when I realised you can't get a deep,soft and warm sound out of it when playing with the cabinets and amps in it with a sampling rate of 31,125 kHz! That is because the treble is just too sharp and cold sounding, so imagine what the gain sounds like! You don't like that sound, you really don't! I would never use that gain for rhythm playing, never. It would sound like crap. I wouldn't use it anywhere.Sorry! I have a Fender Richie Sambora Stratocaster USA guitar that I really really love! It has a lot of deepness in it, the V-amp 2 takes that away and turns it into something cheap and bad sounding. I tried this unit through my PA system, my Home Cinema and my Mackie HR824 Professional studio monitors and my headphones. But a sampling rate at 31,125 kHz makes it noisy and bad sounding everywhere. I tried everything, read the manual and finally tried it without the preamp and cabinets on, that was probably when this unit reached the top. Maybe because one wasn't limited to that low sampling rate then anymore. The effects were pretty good for that price, so then I thought I would use it as a tuner and effect module, but no, I don't think the effects kick ass.No way. I can't get it sounding like anyone's sound.However I thought the rectified hi gains and those cabs where not that bad, but still pretty awful. I give this unit a strong 5 in sound.Behringer's biggest mistake with this unit was the low sampling rate. When you buy things you want to use in a studio or elsewhere, you want CD quality, not 31,125 kHz and much noise! I wasn't happy with that sound, so I give it a strong 5, just for the low price.
Reliability
:
No Opinion
I think it seems to be well made. I would use it on a gig without a backup without fear of getting lost...hehe , if I had to...
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
I haven't been in contact with them.
Overall Rating
:
5
I play everything from hardrock to country and jazz. I thought this unit would be somthing pretty good sounding and fun to have. After playing with it now in 5 days, tried everything I can to make it sound good, I realised that I'm just not happy with it, so I'm returning it! No doubt about the fact that it is a pretty cheap and well made product. You can also dial in some new tones, but don't expect to become exited over something beautiful sounding. The sampling rate at only 31,125 kHz makes it thin in the cleans and sharp and unclear and unpleasant when playing with some gain on. Playing chords with the gain on was not a very nice experience. I have never heard a distortion that bad! The bottom line is this. Many features, many possibilities, a low price, but an overall sharp sound. You don't want to use it in a studio, unless you only use the effects and no amps/cabs, then it sounds better and has less noise. I think the guitar is an extremely beautiful sounding instrument and it should be like that. What you want is a rich tone both disted and clean. With the Behringer V-Amp 2 you can't expect something like that. It takes away deepness from the guitar and puts on sharpness. The result is something noisy and you don't want the guitar to sound like that, especially not on a record. Then even the price is not a priority anymore! So stay away from the thing. I was so exited about all the amp models and about the high overall rating here, so I bought it without testing it first. I'm happy that I never transfered the money and now I'm returning it. This was the first Virtual Amplification unit I tried, myabe my last one. Yes it is a low price, very low and you get a bag, a tuner and some decent effects. But I want something I like all the way and that was not the case with the Behringer V-amp 2. I will save my money and buy something better. If I go for a Virtual Amplification unit I wont't buy one with a sampling rate at only 31,125 kHz, that's for sure! At least 44,1 kHz is required to try what Behringer did with this unit.
I would pay half the price, because I wouldn't use more than half of it. I will never buy this thing again. When you buy things like this you really need to know the specifications before, that's what I learned from this. I also learned that my expectations on amp modeling units may have been too high. It made me dream even more about the real things... Save the money! It's worth it! This unit i not worth 9,2 in overall rating, not by far. 7,6 would be fair, because of the interesting price, the bag, some decent effects and the tuner that worked. But something like 9,2 is ridiculous on a great site like this! I give it 5 and I am glad that I can return it. There are so much better things out there to save money for.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $120
Submitted 09/28/2002
at 06:05pm
by Eric Sands
Email: sands at mindspring<dot>com
Ease of Use
:
7
Easy to use right out of the box, but you need the manual to get to the really good stuff. Basic editing is straight forward. It's the advanced editing and sounds that makes this a superior unit to the POD. The manual is well written and quickly answers any questions you may have. I took off a few points because you absolutely need the manual to get the full potential of this thing.
Sound Quality
:
9
I have several tube amps, Marshall JCM900 half stack, Laney GH50L, Lee Jackson XLS1000 and they're all excellent, but I needed something self contained, versatile and portable. The V Amp offers a more "produced" sound like a POD which is needed for some situations.
I use this unit like as a preamp, directly into a TubeWorks Mosvalve 116o power amp, into a Marshall 1960 stereo 4x12 cab. I have several Gibson, Fender and Ibanez guitars. All retain their unique character with the V Amp.
I was a big Line6 fan until I got tired of the sterile sound and only one really good amp model, the Rectifier, which everyone uses. I've owned a POD, Flextone 1x12 and 2x12 combos as well as a Flextone HD. This unit sounds better! The amp models are much closer to the original and the tones are more complex and tubelike. It takes some tweaking and READING THE MANUAL, but you can get many, many killer tones from this thing. The FX are decent, but this is an amp modeler, not an FX modeler. The delay, tremelo and chorus are good, the flanger is a little thin but useful, (I have an ADA flanger which is the sh*t!) The Phaser and autowah are crap, but the rotating speaker is pretty good despite other reviewers opinions. It's a subtle effect, but very useful when used right. Overall, it's much more versatile than the POD in that you can bypass the preamp and use just FX, you can bypass the speaker simulators and use it a preamp, (other reviewers say you can't but they're mistaken), and you can split the out puts in a variety of ways for live and studio use. This alone is a major selling point. Also, each patch has LEDs to show you the settings. Very cool indeed. No power switch, but who cares? The plastic case seems solid and should last just fine as long as it's not abused. Noise gate works great too. The included footwsitch lets you change between 5 patches and the tuner. Good stuff. Line6 could take a clue from these guys. The amp models really react like you'd expect the original to. The feel of the original amps is there, unlike POD. You get much more for your money with the V Amp 2. I give it a 9 for sound quality. I'm not comparing it to a tube amp because it's not. It is what it is and it's the best at what it does, especially for the price.
Reliability
:
8
Seems reliable. I'd gig without a backup. Who wants to carry two of everything to a gig?
Customer Support
:
7
Great website. Lots of web resources too.
Overall Rating
:
9
I play hard rock, shred, funk and art rock. The V Amp handles it all very well. Been playing 28 years and have owned everything at one time or another. I still love my tube amps, but the Vamp has its place among them. I prefer it over the POD due to it's versatility and superior tone, but I wish it had a Floorboard as easy to use as PODs. Behringers midi floorboard is a pain to configure. POD breaks too easy.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: 150 (Euro)
Submitted 09/26/2002
at 10:55am
by Anonymous
Ease of Use
:
8
I have been programming keyboards and other musical equipment in over 15 years, so dialing in what I want is not a problem with this unit. I would say it's 8,5. It's not hard to use in any way, so I give it 8, because I don't know if you are as used to digital equipment as I am. I think 8 is fair, but if someone would argue that it's a worth a 9 in ease of use I would maybe agree. I can't give it a 10 because it still has only a small 2-digit graphical window, so it's not perfect.
Sound Quality
:
7
To me crisp and clear and awesome sound is everything! I don't want to argue over a perfect kind of guitar tone in this piece of gear. Sorry! It's simply not! But you can't expect that from a unit in this price range. I have a Fender Richie Sambora Stratocaster USA guitar, I bought it just to get a deep Stratocaster Sambora type of tone. With the V-Amp 2 I can get a lot of different sounding tones. I don't know if that is good or bad, but it's fun to tweak!:) I think it's important to describe what kind of tones you can get with it so this is my description of what it sounds like: It's electrical, sounds a bit like U2 which is cool, but it doesn't have CD quality! I was dissapointed when I thought I could use it as an effect processsor with my stereo. It didn't work at all! It was noisy! It's not at 44,1 kHz and you can hear that pretty good in the upper range and if you try to play Cds throu it you will hear that it's not even close to a perfect sound. A lot of noise and it's hard to get a screaming high Sambora tone with it, I would say impossible if you don't buy the best compressor on the market to use with it. I would not use the V-amp 2 in a studio, simply because it would ruin a lot of that CD quality, that you need in a studio, with all extra noise when you play, but if I would record U2 kind of album I would maybe use it to fill out in the background. When it comes to tone I would say that it kills some sustain in the notes in the upper range and the treble in this unit is bad. That it's because it's not 44,1 kHz! The effects are good, no complains whatsoever with that, and I like the fact that it has many things to tweak with and the tuner in it worked, so I will use that. It's hard to give a rating. My opinion is that it's worth 6 or 7 in sound quality. 6 because it's so noisy and because the gain/distortion in it sucked really bad! It's awful! I don't think anyone can enjoy a muddy distortion like that. It's a cheap kind of distortion, not in any way Marshall sounding. So a 9 is way too much as an overall sound quality rating. On the other hand, you got pretty nice effects and a few good clean tones with it, that is pretty good at this price range, but you are stuck with an electrical kind of tone. For what it does and is designed to do I would say Behringer did quite a nice job, so maybe an 8 would be a fair rating if you think of the price and the effects. But because of the fact that it's not at 44,1 kHz, which makes it not the first choice when recording in a studio and because of the bad gain/distortion and the background noise I want to give it a total of 7 in sound quality. It is mostly the treble,distortion and the background noise that I don't like with this unit and makes it unprofessional, but in this price range it gives you new tones and that is always welcome.
Reliability
:
9
I can't seay yet, but it was a complete set of gear in the box... :)
No complains as far as the eye can see... But since I don't know if it will break down or if I'll have problems with it I can only get 9. So that's my opinion.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
No comments. I haven't been in contact with them.
Overall Rating
:
7
As a product 8 or 9, but as a music gear not that high.
I play everything from jazz,country to rock,hardrock and pop music. I think it fits jazz music the best, that's because you can get pretty good clean tones and a nice variety of them with nice effects, but also because it doesn't give you good screaming disted lead tones. You can also use it for playing U2 kind of guitar stuff live, the Behringer 2 reminds me a lot of U2 in the kind of sound it produces, a little electrical. I wouldn't and won't use the dist in this unit, because it sucks. However, I will like the effects in it and tweak with it, just to have fun. If you need a lot of hood tones for recording and live, I would save the money and buy something in a bigger price range. But if you don't have a guitar amp and don't have the money for one, but want some new tones and a piece to tweak with, I think this unit is a good choice. The bag that comes with it is worth something and you can use the tuner in it and the foot switch. You can also use it for songs where you experiment with the guitar sound.For the money I think the value is good. However, as a country/rock/pop guitarist I wouldn't use it in my main setup if I could afford some more expensive gear, but I would want to take it with me on underground gigs, for fusion and jazz stuff. I wouldn't use it in a studio, simply too noisy. You don't hear the noise so much when playing live,but otherwise it's disturbing.I give it a strong 7, but I wouldn't argue over an 8 if someone would say it is just too good value for the money. For those who are seeking a nice variety of crisp clear guitar tones and good dist/gain to record with, stay away from this unit! If it were stolen I would remember it as a cute little piece of gear that is good for jazz/fusion and playing U2 kind of music. I would also remember it as a little electrical sounding and the thing that didn't have a CD qulaity sound and I would probably want the real thing, so I would save the money and not buy it again. However, if I couldn't afford anything else but need something new in my gear I would probably start saving some money, because it reminds me of the real stuff! I'm sorry...
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $129
Submitted 09/23/2002
at 11:08am
by David King
Email: davidking<at>kclibrary dot org
Ease of Use
:
10
This thing is amazingly easy to use - plug it in and go, basically. If you want to edit a patch, also easy - move the knobs, and then hold down the setting number for two seconds - that's all it takes. The manual is very helpful.
Sound Quality
:
9
Amazing sound! I can't do an A/B to "real" amps, but it beats my two practice amps into the dirt. The unit isn't noisy - but it DOES emulate a real amp, so if you have the settings turned up to 10 - expect some noise! And it has a noise gate to help control the higher gain settings, if needed. The distortion sounds are very nice.
The amp sounds are great, and the effects sounds are nice, too. zI could do without the Auto wah sound - it's nasty.
Reliability
:
10
I've not had any problems yet.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
N/A - not yet needed to contact anyone.
Overall Rating
:
10
I play rock and modern worship styles of music (which translates to rock). Great match! Especially in a church setting - no noise, no stage volume (unless you put it in the monitors), great sounds. I'd definitely replace it.
I have a good friend who uses a POD - he wishes he had the V-Amp - he says the V-Amp is tons easier to use.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: R$ 630,00 (Reais)
Submitted 09/13/2002
at 10:10am
by Paulo Quirino
Email: pauloquirino at hotmail<dot>com
Ease of Use
:
9
Ao testar o V-AMP 2 pela primeira vez, sem ler o manual, ja foi facil de utilizar os presets, a programac?o dele, os efeitos, etc...
Quanto ao manual, o original em ingles e p que deve ser lido; o traduzido para lingua portuguesa ainda confunde um pouco.
Sound Quality
:
9
Excelente. Os amplis e os presets de guitarristas famosos s?o muito bons ! E um otimo custo beneficio, se comparado ao SansAmp.
Reliability
:
9
N?o.
Customer Support
:
1
Isso aqui no Barsil ainda e um pouco preocupante, pois o dealer e em S?o Paulo.
Overall Rating
:
10
Toco Hard Rock and R&B, e o som e espatacular !
Sou profissional e toco ha 18 anos !
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: 89 (# (pounds))
Submitted 09/11/2002
at 05:35am
by Anonymous
Ease of Use
:
9
These ratings are based on a comparision of the V-Amp to other similar units (e.g. POD2).
Basic editing on the unit is straightforward but with the PC software it?s really easy.
Also, using the PC software I was able to get additional functionality?.e.g. 3 effects at once?comp + chorus + delay.
Sound Quality
:
9
I?ve been teaching and playing in semi-pro cover bands for 25 years with styles ranging from jazz to classic rock.
During the last few years I?ve got into home recording and have been using the DI out on my Tech 21 Trademark 60 amp.
The DI uses SansAmp technology and has always sounded good when recorded.
However, the Tech21 cannot store sounds and sometimes it takes a while to get the sound just right.
So, it was time to buy a dedicated pre-amp/effects unit to simplify the recording process but without compromosing on sound quality.
After trying a few units including Digitech, Boss, etc my final choice was between the V-Amp and a POD2.
First impressions were that the POD was a bit muddy and the V-Amp was a bit bright.
With a bit of tweaking the POD didn?t really improve?.it always had that slightly muddy overtone and never really sounded like a miked up amp. When you boost the highs (or cut the lows) to lose the muddiness the tone becomes lifeless.
However, the V-Amp with a bit of tweaking came alive.
I re-recorded some of the guitar parts on some of my compositions with the V-Amp and the difference was unbelievable?.it really made the recordings come alive.
I haven?t tried either unit through an amp as I don?t intend to use it for live work.
I?m sure I could get better results by recording a miked up Bassman, Matchless, Soldano, Boogie etc but I haven?t got #10,000 to spare.
Reliability
:
7
The only thing that slightly concerns me is the fact that the jack sockets are mounted into a plastic casing (the POD is metal)?..but as my V-amp never moves from my desktop and is permanently hooked up to both my 16 track recorder and PC (for editing) I don?t forsee too many problems.
Customer Support
:
9
Never contacted them but their website puts Roland/Boss to shame.
Was able to download the editing software for free.
Overall Rating
:
10
For the money it?s unquestionably the best value for money piece of kit on the market.
The sound of the V-Amp either through headphones or when recorded and played back through a good hi-fi amp/speakers is remarkable.
The POD2 is good and is probably better suited to live use because its made of metal but it never really sounded as good when recorded.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: RM980 (Ringgit Malaysia)
Submitted 09/08/2002
at 12:46pm
by Anonymous
Ease of Use
:
9
The sound is really tweeking for the first time you used it...but after a while experimenting with it, it's kinda, hook to the thing for a long time jammin.
Sound Quality
:
10
No comment, Try to adjust the gain knob it may help your sound better. My Setup :
2 hi-fi Sony Speakers ( not sure about the 'watt' ).
1 Korg Ax1g Effects
1 small amplified radio with line out.
1 Elctric guitar ( 2 Single Coil and 1 humbucker )
Reliability
:
9
It's made out off plastic and had a stand, it's better as a practice device rather than you take it to a gig. Or you can put it at a much safer place.
Customer Support
:
10
Very helpful you can get the manual and the software for free on the net. Plus more you can order the upgrade chip from the dealer.
Overall Rating
:
10
Use 'em like your own PS2,X-Box, Nintendo and Pentium's.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $129.00
Submitted 09/04/2002
at 02:15pm
by REH
Email: bhaggard at bennettinnovations<dot>com
Ease of Use
:
9
Very easy to use, no deep menus, just turn knobs and get your sound.
Sound Quality
:
9
I use a American Deluxe Fat Strat. I go straight into my computer and back out my sound card into a Mackie mixer. From there into a crown 200 through JBL 1500 speakers. Plain and simple it sounds GREAT. I can tailor almost any sound I need for recording and the sounds mix well with other tracks. (Drums bass keys etc.) I dont know what it sounds like through a guitar amp because I bought it for recording but my set up is very much like a PA set up and it Rocks!
Reliability
:
8
So far so good and the website has patches for download. Yes i would use it on a gig without back up. (Live on the edge)
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Haven't needed customer support but from the looks of their website I'am sure it's good.
Overall Rating
:
9
I use clean and distorted tones for my music. The V Amp gives me a wide variety of sounds to work with and yes it does help me make music and does not get in the way. I've tried Digitech boxes and they dont come close to the sound and feel of the V Amp. Its not going to replace your big stack o tubes on stage but for recording and making music with computers its perfect. For 129 bucks its a steal and it come with a cool carrying bag a patch change footswitch and heavy duty ac cord. I overlooked this box because Behringer stuff is always so cheap in price but the V Amp is not cheaply made and very well designed.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $129
Submitted 09/03/2002
at 05:25pm
by Rick
Email: xpect at bellsouth<dot>net
Ease of Use
:
9
Really easy to set up. I give it a 9 only because you have to look up the speaker cab settings to find out which one corresponds to the numeric value. Hidden interface is a bummer!
Sound Quality
:
8
A little noisy, but so are other hi-gain amps. The Clean settings are pristine, IMHO.
Reliability
:
No Opinion
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Overall Rating
:
10
Because of the price, I give it a ten. I play a Strat through the Vamp2, into Digital Performer, and monitor through a Carver 200W/channel amp and a pair of Paradigm Reference 20's. F!@#$% AWESOME!
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: N/A
Submitted 08/29/2002
at 07:08am
by Anonymous
Ease of Use
:
8
Easy....the thing has rotary leds around the pots to show you where your settings are(unlike pods....)
Sound Quality
:
9
awesome for rock/metal and rockman clean type sound.Dont know about the dual reverb/fender settings as ive never had one to compare this to.I can get a high gain 5150 type sound,more jcm800 like and a good def lepard clean sound so im happy....
Reliability
:
7
mm.its plastic so i dunno.woudnt want to stand on it
Customer Support
:
10
had to call germany for some midi help..they had a guy spoke perfect english
Overall Rating
:
No Opinion
This thing rocks.i have a stack of peavey amps,5150,ultra head ,a jcm800 combo an old rockman x100 combo and mostly heavy rock style thru neck superstrats.this thing does clear but heavt distortions wonderfully.IT`l do the OTT recto thing as well,but i cant comment on quality as its not my thing.The midi pedal for it is great as well.Just note its not properly set up from the factory for the v-amp which sucks.
The cost of pedal+v-amp was #200 and cost about the same as a boss me-33 and its a whole load better not having to bend over to change settings.
I use this setup thru pc and full range speakers,and occasionly a combo with the speaker emulators off.I reckon it sound best thru solid state full range stuff though.
No valves,no heavy weight to carry around...ya can keep your `ikkle glass bottles as far as im concerned..this is good enough for me
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: 40000 (SIT (150 euro))
Submitted 08/28/2002
at 05:07pm
by Tomi
Ease of Use
:
9
It's very easy to use. All you have to do is turn around the knobs.
Sound Quality
:
7
It sounds very good, but only on headphones.
I have a Epiphone Special Plus and a Marshall Valvstate 8080. Not a very good equipment, but with a little pacience you can get a good tone from it. With headphones I give it 10.
Reliability
:
No Opinion
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Overall Rating
:
8
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: 159 (EUR)
Submitted 08/27/2002
at 08:27am
by Andreas W
Ease of Use
:
10
The controls are set up like on a "real" amp so usage is really easy.
Sound Quality
:
6
The device does it's job, but compaired to the Johnson J-Station
or the POD it sounds a bit colder and lacks reactense.
I don't use the FX section when recording - but for jamming and
home practise it's ok.
Reliability
:
7
Looks stabil but I wouldn't use it without backup (I'd prefer
a device made of metal ... and the potis seam a bit "cheesy").
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Never dealt with them (but because I'm from Germany this might be no
problem - Behringer is a German company :-)
Overall Rating
:
8
Pro's: Cheap, many nice sounds, great package (included footswitch,
power supply, bag), easy to use
Con's: Lacks warmness, no digital OUT
... would buy it again for this price
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $129
Submitted 08/26/2002
at 10:08pm
by Anonymous
Ease of Use
:
7
I do like the updated data knobs on this thing more than the POD's fixed knobs
Sound Quality
:
7
The reason that I posted this is that there is high hiss (self noise) coming off the outputs regardless if anything is plugged into it at all. If you cut 9k and above, that takes care of most of it but the unit does have some good sounds in it however, I found myself needing to eq my recordings a lot more than the POD. It sounds a little shrill at times even overall treble is not overbearing.
Reliability
:
8
Never had a problem yet but a friend of mine experienced data loss after a minor power out.
Customer Support
:
9
Good folks over at the west coast USA facility. They sent me the upgrade 1.0 to 2.0 after they sent the wrong chip the first time.I got an apology and a promise and they pulled through.
I had one of the newer 1.0 units so it was easy to snap in the eprom.
Overall Rating
:
9
It seems that all the modeling amps have there unique strengths. I used the Vamp, Johnson, Boss Gx-700, and a POD as well as Amplitube VST and a host of others and managed to get great tones out of every one of them. I still prefer to use my Rivera TBR 1M with a mic or a speaker sim but what a 65 lb pain in the ass to setup. The price is great and the footswitch and bag really sweeten the deal. If your new to modeling, you can't go wrong. Don't sell it, add to it!
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $130.00
Submitted 08/25/2002
at 10:20am
by Richard Coleman
Ease of Use
:
7
Not bad for the type of unit it is. This and all the competing amp simmers use the "hold this button down to get to the other options" method which totally bites. Other wise things are pretty clear and easy to navigate. It would be a lot nicer if it would have a full blown LCD screen with all important info displayed but then it no longer costs $130.00... Manual is decent and goes into good detail on the amps but not the cabinets which seemed silly. It is pretty much plug and go with the amp/speaker sims but the effects takes some time to get used to.
Sound Quality
:
9
I use American made Washburn guitars going direct to a Mackie mixer. Sounds incredible. Its so flexible, I can get anything from Rammstein to Stray Cats out of it. I'm not positive on how "dead on" some of the sims are but I do know that the bassman sim is pretty far off as I own one of those and it sounds MUCH better than the sim. That said, there are some GREAT tones locked in the box but like I said I have no idea how similar to the originals they are. A little minor tweaking gets some amazing results direct, which was the whole reason I wanted one. The effects section is so/so. Some effects are good but also pretty weak. I prefer some of the bad effects more actually (like the rotary which is just awful!) because despite their awfulness, they are unique and gives an interesting dynamic. I use it with a Valve FX for its digital effects and that seems to work best...
All in all, sounds amazing direct, pretty much like a bonafide amp thats been well mic'd.
Reliability
:
5
Hmm, I'd never use it live due to the plastic case and no on/off switch but uits fine for the studio.
Customer Support
:
8
Decent support. They offer more goodies for their unit than most of the others IMO.
Overall Rating
:
10
An amzing value for the money. Sounds WAY better than my valve FX unit for the distortions at least. The design is a tad stupid as it isn't convenient at all to have in your studio. A rack mountable version would be preferable. A lot of people complain about the noise, which is considerable, but I have found that just turing your guitar's volume knob down a touch fixes it and makes it sound better in fact. All in all, I have never gotten a decent DI sound with my guitar before I had this thing and now I feel like I can get any general sound I want. Plus its great for industrial music (my choice) as it can be made to sound like beautiful or completely disgusting with a few minor tweaks of the cab and sims... I highly recommend it and for the price you cannot go wrong.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $119
Submitted 08/23/2002
at 06:28pm
by Jeremy Skrenes
Email: jskrenes at aol<dot>com
Ease of Use
:
8
Like most effects processors with preset patches, it's pretty well set up to get decent sounds right out of the box, just plug in and go. But the coolest feature this unit has is its LED lights on its dials. They change for each preset and make on-the-fly adjustments a snap. The shift key can make things a little confusing, but nothing too bad--on the plus side it does allow for up to three control paramaters per effect where most units have one or two.
My main complaint, and this is a gripe against multi-effects units in general, is its two-pedal stomp box. The pedals switch between patches, and I'd rather have them control effects within patches. Who really wants to switch between patches in a song? I'd rather have pedal 1 toggle distortion and pedal 2 toggle the effects. Now I have to go through and reprogram the whole thing.
The other positive to this box is its speaker and preamp bypass modes. With the push of a button you can turn off the speaker and preamp functions, or with a little more programming, just turn off the speaker simulator, allowing you to use this as a preamp and/or processor for your current rig.
Sound Quality
:
9
This thing sounds amazing through headphones as well as my guitar amp. When I say that I mean given the context that it's an all-in-one effects box for about a hundred bucks. If you want your guitar to sound like it's plugged into a solando, then shell out the $3K on one and stop whining that the V-Amp doesn't imitate that amp (or Marshall or Fender or whatever). Keep in mind you're paying a hundred bucks for a simulation, not a thousand or two for the real thing.
There are a few amp models I can't ever imagine using, they sound so rotten, but there are enough good ones to keep me happy. My only two problems with the V-Amp 2 are 1) the clean amp presets are really quiet, but another person recommended an outside compressor, which should do the trick, and 2) when I'm jamming with headphones and I've got the V-Amp in my lap, it tends to get a bit noisy. But the farther I get away from it, the quieter it gets, so in live applications it shouldn't be a problem.
Reliability
:
9
The control cabinet is plastic, and it also has no on/off switch, which makes me nervous about its input and output jacks, which is why I got the Musician's Friend gold coverage on it, so I should be ok. The floor pedal is metal with plastic footswitches a la a DOD pedal with a long enough cable to run from your amp to your pedal rig.
I've got a floor full of effects pedals, and I can't imagine ever gigging without my Jekyll & Hyde, so between the V-Amp and my pedals I should be ok.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Since I got MF gold coverage, I assume I'll be dealing with them instead of Behringer for some time. My experience with MF has been great. I'm not rating Behringer simply because I won't be dealing with them.
Overall Rating
:
10
I play tons of styles and bought this so I could plug into our church sound system without hauling my 2x12 peavey classic and floor full of pedals to church and crowding out the rest of the praise band. Seems like it should do the job. If it got stolen, I'd buy another.
Overall, it's pretty easy to use, sounds good, seems fairly reliable, and even with shipping and gold coverage from MF, should run under $150. I can't think of a better deal.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: 180 (?)
Submitted 08/19/2002
at 09:55am
by Anonymous
Ease of Use
:
10
Instant FUN - Just plug it in and you're ready to go! And some of the presets are quite amazing, too! Speaking of wich, I could just start changing the factory presets and storing my own right away so I guess it's pretty simple to edit. The manual is not good, but it'll get the job done.
Sound Quality
:
9
I'm using a Godin Radiator, Ibanez EX 3700 and a Custom Acoustic-Electric Nylon String Guitar, a Behringer GX-110 Amp.(30 Watt) and a pair of headphones.
This thing ALWAYS does the job right, I mean, of course it hums when I plug the Radiator (Beefed up SingleCoils) and use the mega distortion like the ENGL, but for the price, I can't believe there's anything better.
The effects are quite good for a non-professional-just-for-the-fun-of-it guitar player.
I can get the Angus Young, Eddie Van Halen, Gary Moore, David Gilmour, etc. sound out of this box, or at least close to it.
Some of the cabinet simulations aren't very good, there's something really annoying about changing presets, because there's a short gap of silence when changing some of them. For that reason I give it a 9, not a 10.
Reliability
:
9
I don't have to depend on it (so I think it's great), but if I did, I would probably buy a backup unit, just in case. I give it a 9. (If only they made it in a Rack Unit).
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Never dealt with them.
Overall Rating
:
10
I've been playing for 9 years now. My favorite styles range from Classical to Blues, Jazz, Fusion, Rock, Metal and pretty much everything that drives me to play. If it were stolen I would buy a new one. I love the way these guys packed so much value into such an inexpensive unit.
I compare this thing to the POD2, and, seriously, I can't figure out what's so great about the POD2 for it to cost more than twice the price of a v-amp2. I mean, I'm sure the POD2 is a great product, but is it worth that much more?
The thing I wish it had was a Power Switch (Brilliant, huh?).
This thing is a magic box, ready to fuel up your inspiration everytime you pick your axe.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: 99 (UKP)
Submitted 08/18/2002
at 08:10pm
by dave
Ease of Use
:
10
This thing's great. Great sounds in a little box. Editing is easy, cos there's *real knobs*!!! The free software editor makes things so much easier too. Just hook up two MIDI cables and you're laughing. I've not done too much manual editing with the V-Amp2 - I tend to use the software editor. It's idiot-proof. Really! Too many FX these days have their editing hidden behind cryptic abbreviations and menus and shift-this shift-that, but the software editor has got to be *the* way forward. Too cool.
Sound Quality
:
9
I use three custom made guitars, a left-hand strat copy and a Squier Strat with this. Other effects include Ultimate Octave, Bad Horsie, a couple of Danelectro octave things, and various other bits and pieces when I can be bothered. I tend not to use the V-Amp II's effects. If I do it's just chorus. The V-Amp II *is* a little noisy, but not as a fault - it's because the noise from the modelled amps has *also* been modelled! Some people don't realise this and put it down to the unit. I don't use an amp - all my gear goes straight to my mixer and then to my soundcard.
Other people's sounds are easily got via the net and the software editor. I've got Satch's Surfing sound, Steve Vai's first album sound (Viv Women and Call It Sleep), a Robert Fripp sound, a live NIN sound, and of course tons of my own too! I think I'd run out of requirements before I ran out of presets.
I'm only giving a 9 because this unit *really* needs a pitch shifter. I also have the MIDI foot controller, and that'd be great with the realtime pedals. Switching between presets is easy with the controller - you're not limited to just 5.
One thing though - I've found that some of the clean sounds are very quiet - so much so that I have an Alesis compressor after this unit to make sure all my patches are equal before I hit record.....
Reliability
:
10
Can I depend on it? I hope so! I've tried all kinds of units and this is by far _the best_. I don't gig, but you can guarantee if I did I'd trust it not to die on me. Like a woman - treat it with respect and it'll do you no harm ;-)
Customer Support
:
10
The website's cool, product registration is easy and quick. I have tons of Behringer gear and IO still don't know how they make any money. No complaints *at all*.
Overall Rating
:
No Opinion
I play instrumental guitar music. Satch, Vai, et, with bits of Rush and old Genesis, King Crimson thrown in for good measure :-) I've been playing for 17 years and have had lots of gear over those years. If someone nicked this I would kill them, and then buy another.
I wish it had pitch shifting. Big time. Then I could sell my Whammy. Maybe in a future firmware upgrade they'll add it.......
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $129.99
Submitted 08/07/2002
at 12:20pm
by Anonymous
Ease of Use
:
9
Pretty easy to get a sound quickly. After about three weeks you will get the hand of it. Read the manual there are different configs that make a big difference in your sound.
Sound Quality
:
9
I can't really agree with the few people dissing this device. They must have crappy guitars cannot play and don't know how to turn knobs. I have used this with amp and direct great results. It?s not a ten I don't care for a couple of there class simulations and couples of fender ones to me have missed the mark. It not a ten but it is a nine esp. for money. This is a good unit for price where can one get all these tones for this price. There can be improvements and I am sure behringer is right on it with next release.
Reliability
:
7
I have mine mounted on a mic stand. My power supply connector on cable is on its last leg. Be careful it is not super heavy duty as far as jacks and things on unit I have had no problems. If I had a steady gig I would have another one as a back up.the price is right i am not complaining.
Customer Support
:
3
Well they are nice but notorious for not having things in stock in the USA. I have been waiting 6 weeks so for a new power supply. It is probably a demand thing but they should keep a good stock of replacement parts. They are very slow on the emails but when talking to their reps and techs they are polite.
Overall Rating
:
10
For the money it worth checking out. You might like it definitely worth a try. Remember it will take a little time to get the sounds you are looking for. Here is a list my fav models Fender twin model (only one out of their fender models that I will use.) JCM 800 model real nice, Engl model outstanding, JC 120 great one also, 15 watt Vox model as long as gain is down on it. As for effects I have hard time with echo and rotary is terrible, and I heard better phasors. As rest of effects are pretty good and quite usable.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $129.99
Submitted 08/06/2002
at 06:34pm
by Aidan
Ease of Use
:
9
I ordered this thing of a web site store a few months ago because I had checked out a bunch of $150 type of practice amps at the local store - I wanted to get a used Fender Pro Jr. but my dad wouldn't let me because it didn't have a headphone jack. (Come on, let me have some fun!) Anyway, I figured this would certainly sound better than the Crate and Marshall 15 watt amps. And it had headphones.
So, it arrived and I plugged it into my 40 watt Rotel hi-fi upstairs (no way I'm using headphones this time!) and spent about an hour trying to figure out how to use it. It was good fun. Then I read the manual. For the past three months or so I've been tweaking different amp settings, trying to get a little closer to a tone I want - close is easy because you can set which amp the guy you're listening to used and move around the EQ.
-Good sound - Easy, it just drips with good sound. I can't copy sounds if you know what I mean but that's seriously difficult anyway.
-Easy to find a sound that you are happy to play with. I use several - the Marshall Bluesbreaker, Vox AC30 and Fender Bassman are my favorites, and you just need to push a few buttons to switch between them.
-I find it useful to set a bank to one amp and use the settings to put clean, breaking up, overdriven, wah-wah or whatever and use the footswitch to change. Switching between different amp models takes time, you see - there is a pause where there is no real noise - but switching settings of the same amp is fine.
Sound Quality
:
8
I mostly use this at home for screwing around as I don't have a band - my friends are all into computers. Even if they were into music, you'll notice that my favorite amps are blues/classic rock amps - they don't like that.
-I play it with an Ibanez GRX 20 - I'm a lefty so it costs $300 instead of $100 - If I were right handed I'd have something better. It's alder bodied with a tremolo that I blocked up and Seymour Duncan '59 pickups in neck and bridge. I wired them so I could coil tap. It's like a low quality mix of a Les Paul and a Strat but not too low, I do set the action and intonation regularly.
-The V-Amp 2 goes into one of my two 40-watt hi-fi's each with two aprox. 6.5" speakers. One of the amps also has subwoofers and the other one has tweeters. Shame they don't have both. This actually provides good sound because the V-Amp has cabinet simulations that actually change the sound drastically - try it with no cabinet sim. into headphones and be shocked!
-This does get noisy and feedback but I think this is part of the simulation. Not all of the hums and feedbacks are the same. There is a noise gate that removes the hum.
-I don't use the effects much but they seem to work well. If I use them I turn them all the way up and produce unearthly noises and I marvel that there is a guitar in there somewhere. It's fun but not serious. Phaser and Flanger are my favorites for this. I am not sure what some of the effects are supposed to sound like but they are not bad or painful to listen to.
A few problems - With extreme echo, delay, ping-pong(?) settings, the sound quality diminishes - the machine gets too many echoes going to keep track of all of them. At this point, though the effect it too extreme to be useful. It just turns into a mass of noise as all the notes you have played for the past thirty seconds are repeated endlessly
-You can't mix two effects but most amps with built in effects and etc. are like this so it shouldn't be a problem. It does have preset combinations of effects - delay and flanger is one, I think, but you can't control them as well individually.
-One thing on the effects, though - are you buying this for the amp simulations or the effects? I bought it for the amp sims, and the effects were like "Now including effects for no extra charge!" - They weren't the main thing. You can put other effects infront of the box though, but remember that it is not a real amp so dont try to overdrive the preamp with a high gain pedal.
-I sometimes try to get the Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Brian May, Marc Knopfler or whoever sounds with this. I don't think I'll ever do it - Brian May had a totally unique guitar, Jimmy Page was always switching amps, Marc Knopfler I can just about get with the Blackface sim, and to be honest the closest I got to Eric Clapton was with the Boss DS-1 pedal. What I do is get a sound I like out of each amp model. It may sound kind of like someone, but what I'm looking for is a sound that I like.
Reliability
:
No Opinion
I am reasonably sure that it will turn on next time when I unplug it. I would be happier if it had a switch - apart from anything else, bending down to unplug it is a pain. There seem to be lots of people who are worried that they will accidentally trample it, demolish it, then pour beer on it. I find the footswitch to have a long enough cord that I do not have to stand anywhere near the "brains" of the thing - it must be 20 feet long. What's the world record for long jump while holding a guitar and standing still?
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
It works now, and it has worked for three months or so. The other Behringer stuff I own also works, so I've never talked to them.
Overall Rating
:
10
I play (or like to think I play) classic type rock and blues based stuff - my compostions tend to be bluesy but with too much of a dance beat. It has probably already been done . . .
-I've played guitar for a year or so, piano for three years but I took a break from that two years ago. I'm not sure I'm that good but there are people I know who have owned guitars for a year and don't know anything about it. I recieved a comment from someone to the effect that I could play better with a right handed guitar upside down (I'm a lefty) than he could play properly. Maybe he is really bad because I know I'm not that good. I also own a Fender acoustic guitar that I learned to play on, along with "Carcassi's Method For Classical Guitar" (this may have some relevance to certain aforementioned items)
-This seems to suit my style well. Half of the amps are classic rock amps: Marshall Plexi, Vox AC30, Fender Bassman, Fender Tweed amp, you get the picture. These seem very well done, and I am sure that people would be able to identify which amp the machine was simulating just by the sound. I am very pleased with these.
-The other half are heavy metal amps. Rectified something or others rule this side. I am not too fond of these amps because they sound indistict to me, but that could be my lack of knowledge on metal EQ-ing, my alder guitar, the PAF replica pickups, or that fact that they are in fact supposed to sound like that. I never use them and have no interest in them. There are enough simulations that I like to keep me shut up about the half that I don't use.
-If it were stolen I would most likely buy another one. It's very useful.
-I chose this because although it doesn't have external speakers it knocks the socks off a Crate GX-15R. That's exactly why, period(.) It was one of them or this, and combined with a 40 watt stereo this is great. It positively does not hinder my music making skills whatsoever.
I'm giving it a 10 because it knocks the socks of anything else available for $130 and although it doesn't have speakers anything for that price won't be loud enough without another amp anyway.
130 dollars. Wow.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $129
Submitted 08/06/2002
at 01:45pm
by JR
Email: mrpayne<at>yahoo dot com
Ease of Use
:
9
I bought this at mars last week and took it home and got some killer sounds right out of the box. I first plugged it directly into my PA it sound really good. I used the stereo outs and was able to have stereo effects...very cool. I then plugged this into my Carvin Legacy 100w with 4x12 greenback cab. I did not use the effects loop but went directly into the clean channel..very nice indeed..most pre-sets work good and it can cover a variety of music. The manual will help..I just glanced at it. The Vamp 2 is the newest version so I will wait for the upgrade. There are a lot of things available on the net for this vamp2. I then plugged it direct to my D-8 Korg and did some recording...very realistic sounds...not the perfect world..but I'm happy because I don't have to set up all the mics and extra care of eqing ect...this is a great tool. I have a gig this month and I think it will be my main unit. It is easy to use so I rate it a 9.
Sound Quality
:
9
Les Paul thru my Vamp2 to my Carvin Legacy. Thats all I need to sound great my amp does not have a master volume so the Vamp2 has a master that allows me to adjust the sound quickly...some presets are a little hotter. I can play a big song list and the guys I play with like to do a big variety so I can stay with the program...classic rock, southern, blues, country, new school metal and funk...it all there with some outstanding clean settings...you can change things fast and I like that feature. You have to remember where your favorites are...not as friendly for live use but stomp boxes have the same problem. The distortions are varied and they can carry at different volumes. preety sweet for the price..
Reliability
:
8
It seems like a strong enough housing, but the inputs and output jacks will need to be babied..they feel weak...I own other Behringer products and they have held up just fine...pretty cool website too.
I always have a back up plan....
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
never had to call...
Overall Rating
:
8
Very a rock guitarist this is a good deal...nice sound cheap price..I don't need a lot of pedals...with this ..just a wah, volume and good tuner..the built in tuner is ok..not perfect...lost or stolen? yeah I'd get another one..I can plug into my PA, AMP or recorder and it sound great right now...great practice tool..plug in the headphones when everyone is sleeping..ect..lots of cool presets that can be edited fast..I have alot of stomp boxes..played with a POD, Boss GT-6 and others but for the $$ it is a good bet...you get the unit, pedal for changing banks, power supply and carrying case for $129..alll over the place..if something makes you play more and fiddle less with gear that's good. My tube amp warms the sonds up more than the PA but I can show up to pratice with a guitar and a little vamp2 and start rocking in 2 mic checks...go do the math..cheers to all
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: 2000 (NKR (about 220 USD))
Submitted 08/06/2002
at 05:49am
by Gandalv the Gray
Email: ow_lord_gandalv<at>hotmail dot com
Ease of Use
:
8
The V-Amp 2 is higly programmable, creating and editing sound setups could not be easier with the options it has. Getting into the basic system takes only a minute, while you might need to read the manual thorougly to understand the more advanced functions. It could have had a few more buttons to make the use of these "more advanced functions" (although "better hidden functions" would be a better word) easier, but it should present no major problem if you are not in a hurry. Sometimes you have to hold down a button or two while making the necessary adjustments to the knobs.
Obtaining a good sound within the V-Amp 2's amps and cabs should not present too much difficulty, although the final sound you get out will not be very good no matter how much you fiddle with it.
The effects are used by first selecting which effect to use, (if you want to use any at all) and then turning a knob to change the parameters of this effect.
The V-Amp 2 is probably just as easy to use as Line 6's POD, although I never tested the POD thorougly enough to know for sure. It can be upgraded through an exhangable EPROM, which can be downloaded for free from Behringer's website. The manual is clear and understandable.
Sound Quality
:
3
I used the unit with an Ibanez RG-270 DX BK, plugged through a Peavey Studio Pro 112 amplifier. I play progressive metal and progressive rock most of the time, although I play straightforward heavy metal when I need to relax.
The sound quality is where the V-Amp 2 lacks. The amp and cab models sound poor when plugged through an amplifier, while they are slightly better through headphones or a PA system, but never good enough if you are a bit picky on this field, like me.
The effects department is good, all the effects sound good to my ears, although I do not have very much experience in this field. The only problem is that you cannot bypass the amp/cab simulations. Therefore, the guitar will never sound quite good enough for my taste.
If you do not care too much about the quality of your signal, however, you can play almost any (if not every) musical style with the V-Amp 2.The amp/cab models, equalizer and effects allow for a great range of sounds, which can be stored, (the box can store up to 125 of these setups) and changed through a dual footswitch which is also delivered with the unit. This switch selects sounds within the current "bank," so if you need more than five sound setups (called presets) in a single song, you will have to press the buttons on the box every once in a while. However, there is a distinct pause (of about a second) when you change presets. This pulls the total score down. When playing live, you must be able to change setups quickly.
The unit is not noisy, and has a digital noise gate, which removes background noise from the amplifier when no significant signal is being delivered from the guitar or the V-Amp 2. I have never tested this function.
Reliability
:
6
I would not use this unit for live shows, just beacause of its two major flaws: (1) The lack of good sound quality and (2) the distinct pause when changing presets. If you do choose to use it, however, you should keep everything but the pedal in the back of your rack in case someone spills beer on your equipment.
None of the effect units I have seen from Behringer are very heavy-duty, but the V-Amp 2 will not fall apart in your hands if you do not abuse it. It was never meant for live playing, however.
It is made of plastic and feels quite flimsy. It would not survive a person stepping on it, so I would not put it on the floor under any circumstances. The footswitch is a metal box, and should be able to take a beating without suffering too much damage.
You should not have any problems if you treat the unit well, do not kick it around, ect. You know what I mean.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
I have never contacted Behringer themselves, I got the unit through a local music store which always gives me great customer service.
Overall Rating
:
5
Please note that I do not own this unit, I merely borrowed it from the store for a week and used it a lot. I might have bought it if I got it for half the price, but I am currently on a TIGHT budget.
The unit is delivered with a gig-bag, an AC adapter, and a dual footswitch for selecting different sound setups on the fly.
The V-Amp 2 comes with digital controls, small black knobs. All the buttons except the master volume knob have red LEDs to show their current position. The box also has a small, digital display which can show simple numbers and letters, the kind of display you find on your pocket calculator.
It is AC powered, with an adapter you get when you buy it. It clearly lacks a power switch, although that is hardly a problem in my setup, where all the amps & effects are plugged into an adapter I can switch on or off with my foot.
The signal it sends can be delivered in a lot of ways. You can get the it in stereo, and the V-Amp 2 includes sevreal setups where you can use one channel to monitor the signal and the other channel to deliver the signal to an amp, mixing console, PA system, ect. It can also be plugged into a MIDI environment and can be used with a MIDI foot controller.
Favorite aspects: Fancy look, easy to use.
Worst aspects: Bad sound quality, pause in sound when changing presets.
Bottom line, it has great features, but not great sound. Because sound quality is all that matters to me, I did not buy it. The Line 6 POD is a better alternative, but it costs twice as much and comes without any external equipment. Buy the V-Amp 2 if you do not care too much about sound quality but need something to practice with in your bedroom. I would not take it to a band practice, I would use amp distortion and Boss pedals instead. If you want a similar unit which is good enough for gigging, go for the POD with MIDI equipment.
I think there are way too many biased reviews out there, from people who don't know what good sound really is.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: 210 (Canadian)
Submitted 07/30/2002
at 01:52pm
by WGVP
Ease of Use
:
10
Very easy but also read the manual which is fairly short. This will definately give you some very valuable tips. The Tap button is the key here. I don't know how they made any money on this. It even comes with a STRONG stomp pedal and a sweet case. The pod doesn't come with a pedal included! By the way the POD manual sucks! This manual is at least simple to get at the info you want. One other guy mentioned the LEDS as a good reference and very easy to see- he's right, this is a great design- especially for an effects box!
Sound Quality
:
10
Some people say silly things like they're pro artists and that this thing is not the BOM. I read ego all over that. Don't listen to those guys, this thing has great sound and for recording it works great, just as good as the miked stuff! It just depends on the way you look at your recording process. When miking guys usually go stereo or multi channel because they will record with two or more mikes. Well, If you have a good digital recording sytem/computer station set up you can get multiple channels on the same effect then you can look at each channel and alter it. Then you can blend the sounds or whatever... If you are good at recording then it won't matter, this thing will rule your guitar sound repitoire. It's the best piece of gear for the money I have ever seen.
Reliability
:
10
The plastic Chassis is well designed, the stomp box is metal- I don't see the problem here. Whoever won't take this gigging are probably drunken slobs when they preform and so they can't control themselves and thusly nothing (metal or not)is safe from them. I mean common guys, I am sure you can find a place to put the unit off the floor anyways!
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
The manuals pretty good and there's a warranty.
Overall Rating
:
10
I play all sorts of stuff, warying styles of popular music this fits it all and gives me more to try. I have been palying 13 years and I have owned lots of nice gear and expensive gear. I am a very descriminating buyer, usually I will pay big bucks for quality gear but in this case I can negate that rule- this makes me swell with gladness- thank you Behringer! This thing rules the realm of direct box's/virtual amps- I have used the POD and the V-AMp destroys it and for the money, I just can't get over it! I feel like I stole it or something. I want to sleep with it and wake up to it! After all these years of not being quite satisfied with an effects rig, owning one after the next, this is the end of the search. My only complaint is it should have had a switch and yeah, the shape could be a bit more conventional but that's no big deal, I mean we can all complain a little less.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: 159 (?)
Submitted 07/28/2002
at 06:36am
by Celephais
Email: celephais_666<at>hotmail dot com
Ease of Use
:
9
The product is very easy to use. Very intuitive. I didn't read the manual first and I get no difficulties using the unit. But you must read it for better use ! Manual is complete and is multilingual. I got it for a couple of weeks now and I'm still tryin' to find the best sound. It's not hard yo edit sound patches but there's so many possibilities that I'm changing my patches everyday !
Sound Quality
:
9
I'm using an Ibanez RG570EX with an Marshall VS100 head+ 4X12" cab. I've tried other effects before : ZOOM 505 (sounds like a toy), BOSS ME-30 (hard to get THE sound) and boss compact pedals (mainly Metal Zone : too noisy !). Then I saw Edguy, a Heavy-metal band, playing with the V-amp. And woaw... When I first saw the unit in a store and it's low price, I tought it was nothing more than a toy like the Zoom 505. I was fuckin' and totally wrong ! I mainly play Heavy and death metal so I use a lot of distortion and it's not much noisy (noise gate works very well). I'm able to make my guitar sounds like Iron Maiden or Obituary (fat,loud, low sound !). Other effects sounds great mainly the delay effect. Reverbs are good but I don't hear many differences between the selections. I plug the unit trough my effect loop so I use the unit as a pre-amp. Sounds great and loud !
Reliability
:
9
I heard many bad things about the unit and its plastic case. But the V-amp looks as solid as the POD 2 (and the V-amp is much cheaper !). IMHO, you must be careful with every effect unit (even a metal case 19" metal case Rocktron unit !) so what's the matter if its plastic ? Nothing live forever ! I didn't use it for a gig yet but I will do it for sure !
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Can't answer. But I heard that they are OK mainly for getting an upgrade.
Overall Rating
:
9
I'm playing heavy and death metal for about 8 years now and this is my best unit so far ! I'm still discovering it but I'm sure that I'll keep it for many years. I really love it : good effects (noise gate !!!), good amps simulation, very nice sounds I you play trough headphones. I also tried home recording and the unit seems to be great for this too ! Compared to the POD 2.0, the V-amp 2 is a good deal for sure : some extras, cheaper, more presets... What if it was stolen ? I would get an another... And if it's stolen again... I'll get another one... V-amp 2 gets a nine for me cause nothing perfect (no power switch on the unit ! why ?).
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $128
Submitted 07/26/2002
at 01:32pm
by KenC.
Email: cleremond<at>msn dot com
Ease of Use
:
9
Very easy to use....the basic controls are intuitive and the dial position lights really serve to giveinstant feedback on where the dial is set when looking down on the unit. Making instant changes to preset patch is a snap.....want more delay?....turn the knob to delay and tweak the effects knob and whallah! More delay. Want more chorus.....same thing. I only got this unit yesterday so I'm still fiddling. I haven't had time to get into setting up cabinet and amp model combos yet....but after briefly looking over the manual...it's a pretty easy task. Factory presets are varied ranging from dreamy clean ethereal tones to brutal tripple rectified distruction. Turn a knob and yer there.
Sound Quality
:
9
Ok....I'm a Satriani nut...I admit it. As a matter of fact, I'm late for my SA (Satch-A-Holic's Anonymous) meeting right now. I've been playing a JS1000 into a BOSS GT-3 Multi-effects and then either direct to my PC or into the effects loop of my Peavey Special 212 amp. I can get some really great Satch tones using the GT-3, but every now and then I just wanna rock out with some seriously heavy tones....i.e. dimebag darrel, zakk wylde, etc. I've been trying for months to program my GT-3 for these tones to no avail. I went to Guitar Center, demo'd a V-amp for about 30 minutes....and was sold. I took it home, plugged it into my Peavey and was blown away. I already have some really sweet clean tones programed on my GT-3 so, I'll be using both processors for my direct recording. The V-amp has 32 amp models, and like 12 cab simulations. It also has a plethora of effects in a similar setup to the Line6 POD. It has great delays, including echo and ping pong delay effects that really give the base tones some serious afterlife. The reverb is ok, but not great. also has an Auto Wha feature...but I have a Dunlop Crybaby 535Q, so I'll prolly never use it. The compression is ok, but not great either. With some tweaking though....it is quite easy to get anything from a lush dreamy clean sound to brutal earth shaking distruction and pretty much anything in between. As with any multi-effects unit though....if yer looking to get your favorite artist's sound perfectly, your best bet is to buy that artist's guitar....buy that artist's amp....buy that artist's exact effects....find out how that artist's set said effects.....well...you get the idea. But if you looking for something that give you a WIDE range of tones and effects....for the price? The Behringer V-Amp 2 CANNOT be beat.
As far as artist tones go, I can get a smooth overdriven Satriani blues tone (Mainly cause I have a JS1000. Outside his fingers and the Boss DS-1, those Paf Pro's and FRED pickups are the heart of his tone.) to a heavy, crunchy, Steve Vai "Die to Live" sound. Metallica, Pantera, Puddle of Mudd, Nickleback, Linkin Park.....you can dial up ANY of those heavy tones with this thing. SRV you say? No problem. Some of the British Amp models will give you that Ibanez Tube screamer sound without a hitch.
When using the rectified amp models, the unit does get a bit hissy when plugged direct into a soundcard on a computer.....but through my Peavy's Effects loop....almost zero noise, even on the most brutal distortion settings.
If you are looking for "Live" Marshall Tones outta the box.....you wont get it here....but you WILL get Marshall tones that sound like they are digital recordings of someone playing live. And this should be ok for people who don't have a fully Pro Tools equiped studio with a Stack of Marshal 6100's and a rack of Eventide Harmonizers. For casual home recording....its tits!
For those folks who say.."But my triple rectifier Mesa Boogie Full Stack blows this away!".....well, Duh! However, most of us don't have $4000 just lying around to blow on that kind rig, not to mention replacing blown tubes and other maintenance. The V-amp provides a very viable home recording solution for the average Joe who's on a limited bugget. For what it does....it is absolutely the best bang for the buck I've ever seen.
For generic tones, blues, rock, clean..etc.....I give the unit an 8
For heavy metal tones.....the unit gets a solid 10.
Average score......9!
Reliability
:
7
Well....in order to cut costs for this unit production, Behringer has cut corners on a few things. The case is molded out of high density plastic....which makes the unit light weight, which is good, but....Its not built like a tank the way BOSS builds their equipment. I would never take this thing to a gig. I would be too worried some drunk bastard would spill beer on my pedal board and fry the damn thing. But, I am quite comfortable leaving it on my desk where I can reach the controls easily and make adjustments as needed.
The weird shape, while cool to look at, poses some connection issues. When connecting it up, you end up having cables radiating from the unit in all directions which can create a jumbled mess on anyone's desk or pedal board.
The jacks seem flimsy because the unit is made out of plastic and you might want to set it up someplace where you aren't anticipating unplugging it or moving it around alot. Repeated plugging and unplugging will certainly wear out the connection jacks.
The unit also doesn't have an On/Off switch. To turn the unit off, it has to be unplugged, so you run into a paradox.....do I leave it on all the time and run the risk of it burning out? Or, do I unplug it after I'm through using it every time and run the risk of shorting something out?
Behringer could solve ALOT of these problems by releasing a Rack Mounted version of this unit....but in improving the things mentioned above....the cost would most certainly go up. Even if Behringer came out with a rack mounted unit that solved these issues and charged $300 for it.....I'd still buy it in a heartbeat!
Overall reliability - 7 simply because of anticipated problems in the future
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Haven't had to use any .......yet.
Overall Rating
:
10
As I said before...I'm a Joe Satriani fan, thru and thru. If it wasn't for him...I never would have picked up a guitar. As you can bet, my style of music falls mainly in the melodic instrumental rock catagory....but I love all kinds of music....grunge...rock..heavy metal...easy listening...alternative...electronica, you name it.
I have been playing guitar for nearly 5 years. I own a JS1000 with custom graphics, a RG570 with Sparkle Blue finish, a Peavey Special 212 amp, a BOSS GT-3 multi-effects, a BOSS DS-1, and a Dunlop Crybaby 535Q Wha pedal.
I was mainly looking for something to conduct direct recording on my PC. I can do this with my GT-3, but couldn't quite get ALL the tones I was looking for. The V-Amp 2 is a welome addition to my home recording arsenal. I had been looking seriously at a POD from Line6 and had demo'd it several times before, but I couldn't justify the expendature. $260-300 is a chunk of change no matter what way you slice it. The V-amp 2 does everything the POD can do....some things it does even better. The delays are better and the heavy metal tones are better as well. With a price tag of $128 for the V-amp 2, it became a "no brainer".
If this unit broke or was stolen....i would most certainly buy another. The feature to price ratio is unbeatable.
The potential reliability issues aside...the Behringer V-amp 2 earns a solid 10!
If anyone is interested...you can hear my tunes (Satch covers and experimental stuff) at http://kencampbell.iuma.com
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $129.99
Submitted 07/21/2002
at 09:38am
by Ellis Drury
Email: ewdrury at hotmail<dot>com
Ease of Use
:
7
easy to use; manual could be organized better
Sound Quality
:
8
Using it with headphones (studio - AKG141); some presets are noisy - sometimes helps to change pickups on guitar (using a Strat). Great effects & nearly endless conbinations...
Reliability
:
7
Seems well made, even though mostly plastic. I'd be careful to get water on it or to drop it.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Overall Rating
:
8
Play classic rock style, mostly. Played in band when I was a teen. I'm 52 now. Getting back into electrics. Back in band, played a blond Tele w/vibrato thru a Fender Twin Reverb. Sold both years ago to a friend at work for #300...could kick myself, now. The V-Amp 2 is very impressive...exactly what I've been looking for. A friend showed me a 'Musician's Friend' catalog; I looked thru it & saw the V-Amp 2...seemed to fit the bill & boy does it! A friend suggested I buy a cheaper one, but for the price for feature ratio, I couldn't resist. I recommend this product greatly.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $130
Submitted 07/21/2002
at 09:17am
by Mike
Ease of Use
:
9
This is based on my initial opinion of the unit after recieving it in the mail on Friday night and playing with it all weekend. (And it was really too nice outside to sit inside playing with this unit, but I just couldn't help myself.)
Pretty straight forward in it's usage. Well labled. The manual is OK. (Printed in every language known to makind.) Editing is easy, saving the edit is easy. The manual has the firmware / hardware version printed on it. No real problems.
Getting good sounds out of it takes some fine tuning. More than just tweaking. You have to pick the amp type, the speaker type then add effects. Each of these steps changes the sound and requires more tweaking. I ususally found that the effects detract from the tone, so if I use them at all, its very minimal. (just like my real amps.)
Sound Quality
:
9
Initially I was pissed and ready to send it back. All presets were too over processed, masking the amp tones. (I'm a tube-tone snob.) I bought the unit in hoping to get good digital approximations of real amps. (Fender, marshall, mesa, etc.)
My setup is basically just a guitars into the unit. (duh.) My list of guitars used covers solid bodies (Paul, strat) and Jazz archtop. I wanted to set up a bank (5 sounds) for each guitar type, ranging from clean to high-gain lead tones in progression. I got the strat and Les Paul banks set up this way, and initially was disappointed after recording the sounds on my 4-track because they sounded very thin. Like the sound you get by plugging an electric guitar directly into the recorder. Then I started working with the sounds again after regrouping, and found the problem to be the noise gate. (setting was on 8 typically) Killed the gate and cut back a little on the gain, and the sounds were much-much better.
There is noise, but it's not white noise from the unit. It's the sampled noise of amp hiss. The higher the gain on the amp, the more amp noise you hear. (just like the real thing.)
I've done alot of recording (originals) over 10-15 years, and I recognize the sound that these guys sampled. It's the sound of a mic stuck right in the cone of your speaker. (Which I never do with real amps, unless I'm running more than one mic.) When running only one mic, I like to have it at ear level about 5-10 feet in from of the amp. (This is the sound that your used to hearing.)
Anyway, I was damned impressed with the sounds that I finally wound up recording. (65twin-clean, 60 tweed champ-blues, 59 plexi-heavy blues, Mesa MKIIc-crunch, Mesa MKIIc-more crunch.)
The sounds may or may not sound exactly like the real amps, but who really gives a shit if they sound good? (Fender-ish, Mesa-ish, etc.)
Did not try running the unit through speakers yet. (I'll update on that later.)
The only sound that I am not yet happy with is the Marshall sound. I can't get that old blues-breaker and Plexi sounds yet. (clapton, Alman bro's, etc.) I'll keep using my marshall for this if I have to.
I'm not really into effects, but they work just like the pedals that I have in my gig box and never really use with my Marshall. Have to use at least compression and EQ on the Sovtek if you want a non-fuzzed out sound.
In short, I'm keeping the unit.
Reliability
:
No Opinion
I dunno.
It's plastic. Don't stage dive off of it, or through it at the drummer. Has a one-year warranty
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
There web site seems OK. They say not to bug them if it breaks in the manual. Send it back to the outfit you bought it from. (Musicians friend, $130+delivery)
Overall Rating
:
10
I'm not listing my equipment again. See my other reviews for Marshall Artist, Les Paul custom, Sovtek mig 50H, fender Bassman, and lots of crappy solid state amps over the years. (Fender, Ibenaz, Peavy)
Overall, this thing seems pretty cool. This is my first digital piece of equipment, although I have been messing with stuff in music shops when I get the chance.) Played some of the LIne6 Spyder stuff, read alot of reviews on this page, talked to other guys about there stuff, etc.)
My main worry was that this box would be like the J-station in that it doesn't really matter what guitar or pickup you use, you are just triggering the sampled sound. Not so with this unit. A strat sounds like a strat, a Gibson sounds like a Gibson, etc. Very good touch sensitivity and responce. Switching between patches is slow and would be a challenge to use live. Your best bet would be to work around the gaps if you had to change sounds in the middle of the song, and use your guitar volume or volume peddle for gain boost on leads.
I try to play all styles and bought this unit to help. (Right now I am into fusion, jam bands and jazz.) I believe that it will. It's a good tool and should be very popular based on it's price. I would go as far as to say that If I can get all the sounds that I want from this unit, I'll sell my real amps and buy a good power amp and speakers to run this rig as my main amp.
(I don't gig anymore, but may start again at any moment.)
Wish it didn't have the goofy guitar body shape. That sucks. I would love a rack-mount version. Mount it with rack power amp. That would look professional. I don't think you would want the crowd to see the goofy guitar body shape of this thing, so you would have to hide it. (Look folks, I'm playing through a toy!! NOT) Of course, POD's shape sucks too, but at least thay have an expensive rack mount version.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: 1990 (NOK)
Submitted 07/19/2002
at 05:24am
by Frayedman
Ease of Use
:
9
This is just like operating your normal tube amp. Pre-amp sectons couldn't be easier. However, the effect section is a bit messy unless you memorize all the paramters. And who has the time for that? Still, it's a very user-friendly little gadget.
Sound Quality
:
10
I use this thing with speaker simulation straight into a mixer, or without ss into the power amp-section of just about any amp (thruogh the effect loop return jack). Sounds great no matter what. I like the semi-distorted, crunch sounds the best, especially the AC15 model is amazing! Marshalls are very good too. The Boogies sound very much like the originals, but they have focused on the lead channels. Boogies are coolest crunched or clean. I've compared this thing to a Pod II, and though the Pod sounds almost as good, it doesn't FEEL like a tube amp. The V-Amp does. I recently used both the V-Amp and my miked Peavey Classic 50/410 on a recording session, and I can't remeber which is which anymore. They sound just as good. Effects are decent, nothing more, but they get the job done. Very cool ping-pong delay. The Pod doesn't have this feature.
Reliability
:
7
Well, it's plastic, so it's bound to break eventually. Haven't had any problems with mine, though, and the plastic looks quite durable. Power supply cable enters the V-Amp in a weird angle, guess this will have to be replaced after some time. Still excellent value though, especcially with the gig-bag.
Customer Support
:
9
Very quick reply, but I had to write them a couple of times before they really understood mu question. The seem eager to please..
Overall Rating
:
10
I work as a session guitarist as well as fronting my own band, and I use the V-Amp for smaller gigs because it's so portable and sounds so good. You will eventually grow tired of hauling large amps around. It's excellent for studio or practice. Actually sounds best to me through a P.A. or stereo. It's a the ideal backup for a rack system, and great for studio gigs. My only complaint is that there is an annoying dip hen you change programs (the effects processor cuts the signal). If it hadn't been for this, I'd probably have used it live more often. You have to think about when you change programs in mid-song. Still an excellent product, though!
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $129.99
Submitted 07/18/2002
at 08:25am
by Anonymous
Ease of Use
:
10
The V-amp 2 is one of the easiest to use guitar units I have ever used. the knobs are all placed well, all the effects are accessible. like when your playing late at night after one too many and you want to stop and kick in some lush monster reverb, you can without stopping to 'think' to hard about it.
Sound Quality
:
8
The sound quality is really great. there are some high frequency artifacts that can be kind of annoying, but these can be worked around. There are a lot of really sweet distortions and overdrives here. although the fuzz box setting sucks big time.
The effects are nice, so much better than my old Rp10. I recorded direct with it and it worked well.
Reliability
:
2
here's the real problem with the V-amp2
it's real flimsy, the input jacks tend to get loose the more you use them. and after a few days the reverb quit working on me. I would never take this to a gig, or get it close to any with a beer in hand. you get what you pay for.
Customer Support
:
9
don't know. their web site is nice. they have a lot of presets to download and there is a nice bit of software that allows you to change the settings on the fly. this worked without a hitch
Overall Rating
:
5
good sound, smart design, flimsy construction
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $91.01
Submitted 07/15/2002
at 02:24pm
by Brandon
Email: berzerkteam at hotmail<dot>com
Ease of Use
:
10
I LOVE THIS THING, I have been playing a an old digitech peice of crap, all the settings were tooooo distorted and too hard to edit, this vamp is great.
Sound Quality
:
10
VERY good, some better then others, i found that i like to use the Classic Clean setting, and turn all effects off, and turn the gain all the way up, and it gives a good sound.
Reliability
:
10
yes
, i already have
Customer Support
:
10
I upgraded to vamp2, and it worked fine
Overall Rating
:
10
Like i say, i highly recommend this, dont let the cheap price scare you into thinkin its cheap equipment
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: 200 (singapore dollars) used
Submitted 07/06/2002
at 12:14am
by Anonymous
Ease of Use
:
9
straight forward to use. maybe i'm not fussy about sound but a few hours experimenting should get you most of the basic sounds you'd need. just turn some knobs to adjust parameters... very easy
Sound Quality
:
8
it doesn't sound so good, but its certainly the BEST sound this kind of money can buy. the sounds a little thin and harsh, but all the sounds are still very usable. amp modelling is very good, at least for clean and rock sounds which i use. metal and blues sound seem ok but i can't judge properly i guess. effects are usable... especially the stereo delay. its noisy but not excessively used with single coils. there's a noise gate but it kills sustain so i avoid using it as much as i can.
Reliability
:
7
electronics and knobs, display, input jacks are fine, only time will tell.
but the body is plastic and seems fragile. could easily be damaged by mishandling or accident. but its CHEAP, so buy a new one. its still cheaper than a pod.
Customer Support
:
9
excellent, useful email reponse on next working day always. gd manual online. behringer seems good in the US, they apparently send the upgrades for some products (fcb1010) free. but i haven't dealt with them in my country singapore
Overall Rating
:
10
its the most versatile piece of gear i ever owned... because i'm a poor student i guess. if u're on a budget this is the one of the best tihngs you could get... save your money for a better guitar!
go look at the manual to see the deal u're getting with this baby.
most excellent!
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $129.99
Submitted 07/05/2002
at 08:18am
by Anonymous
Ease of Use
:
8
Pretty easy you do need to read the book.
Sound Quality
:
9
For the money this thing smokes. I really like the jcm 800 model they have sounds really great sounds some models are not there but you be able to find some great sounding ones. For the money this really sounds quite good I am really enjoying it.
Reliability
:
8
Some things you will notice cost cutting. Like cheap connector to power supply plastic housing. Just be careful and for price it a well made value.
Customer Support
:
10
Great I asked for a another power supply and they jumped right on it.
Overall Rating
:
10
I use this direct and thru my amps effect chain and have been pleased with it. Are they some quirks and could their be improvements yes their could be. With some tweaking(not much)some great sounds can be found that sound really good. With proper monitoring I would have no problem using thru a whole gig. Great bang for the buck. I really like the british models on this.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $200
Submitted 06/27/2002
at 05:51am
by Anonymous
Ease of Use
:
9
Very easy to edit and program the sounds/patches.
With just some minor adjustments you can get everything from the phattest,rawest blackmetal distortion to a crystall clear sound. I did not find all of the fabric presets to be so good, but after tweaking them a little bit I was totally amazed by the sounds. THe LED` things on the parameters is very nice.
Sound Quality
:
9
I have two guitars : One Ibanez Rg470 with an Emg 81 pickup in the bridge and one ESP 7string H207. I play through a Marshall JCM 2000 head, with the v-amp in the effect-loop. Before I bought this unit I compared it to the Pod 2.0 pro and I found almost all of the amp-models and effects on the V-amp better or just as good as the Pod. In the beginning I wasn`t really satisfied with the distortions, but after reading the manual I learned the cabinet,drive,noise-red and the presence fuctions. After tweaking them I got incredible distortions.. Everything from Dimmu Borgir, Morbid Angel to In flames. When it concerns the clean sounds I especially liked the clean v-amp model and the classic clean sound. After adjusting the reverb and adding some chorus I got this magnificent clean-sound.
The effects are all very decent, besides from the rotary speaker, which I found no good.
Reliability
:
8
No problems with it yet. Would use it on a gig without backup.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Never delt with the company..
Overall Rating
:
9
I mainly play black and deathmetal like Dimmu Borgir, Opeth,In Flames, Immortal and so on and this unit fits perfectly. I love the hi-gain models. Very easy to use compared to other effect-processors I`ve owned. I bought this unit for half the price of a Pod 2.0, inclunding adapter, pedal to select presets and a bag.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $129
Submitted 06/25/2002
at 09:57pm
by Anonymous
Ease of Use
:
2
Besides having the thinnest crappiest sound that Ive ever laid down to tape, the computer editing just sucks on this thing. Counter intuitive and unfriendly, poorly explained. I am just shocked so many people like this thing. Ive traded mine in for a Johnson J-station which hs less presets but WAY BETTER SOUNDS
Sound Quality
:
1
This thing is noisy, thin thin thin. Tons of cheapo european hard rock band sounds. nothing even a little subtle
Reliability
:
2
I had 3 of them. Yes 3 of them. The first two broke and the third when it broke I traded it in for the j-station
Customer Support
:
9
Zzounds whom i bought from are great to deal with
Overall Rating
:
1
get a line 6 or j station. STAY AWAY if you have any ears at all
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: 199 (EURO)
Submitted 06/25/2002
at 07:08pm
by crippe
Ease of Use
:
10
You have to tweak the knobs around to get a decent sound - not very complicated. I've only had it for two days, so... Saving your own presets is easy (press two buttons and thats it). The manual is a no-nonsense type of thing, Behringer is a German company so go figure. Teh manual just let's you in on the basics, thye rest is up to you if you want to get some good sounds.
Sound Quality
:
7
I'm either using the v-amp for direct recording into the computer or just for fiddeling around writing tunes. I use a Fender Squier standard Strat, the distortion sounds fat even though the guitar is equipped with single coil pick-ups. The v-amp is'nt very noise - if you compare it with the amps it simulates it's nearly totally silent. All the effects on it sound pretty good (I have experience working with professional reverb effects etc) - the compressor is AWESOME and you got to use it the hi-gain amps. The only thing that sets this blue marvel back a bit is that it works at 31.2 kHz sound quality, compared with the J-station or the Genesis 1 and 2 that work at 44.1 kHz (CD quality). I have not been able to figure out the sound frequency of the POD, their website tells nothing about this and not the manual either.
Reliability
:
7
Just sits on my desk - so I don't really know. There is a warranty though.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Just had it for two days.
Overall Rating
:
9
This thing is a PRATICE tool, something you fiddle around with at home or in the basement with your band. It's not for professional recording, but sounds good enough for recording demos. The only other similar products I've tested is the POD, the POD costs almost twice as much as this thing - but the sound you get is IMO not worth the extra cash. I wish that the v-amp played sounds at 44.1 kHz at the same price =) and I wish it was'nt in the shape of a guitar - It could be round or square, the shape make it kind of hard to connect the cables in an intelligent way on my desk. But GREAT VALUE overall for home recording and fiddeling around turning the knobs. Behringer is a nice company (I own several other Behringer products such as mics and mixers) and they won't rip you off.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $129
Submitted 06/21/2002
at 10:58am
by Tony N
Ease of Use
:
7
The first day you get your V-Amp 2, you explore the presets, tweaking the knobs to find sounds you like. Make no mistake, there are tons of great sounds to be found in the presets. But, the tone of some of the presets is not ideal, so you move on to creating your own patches. It's not that difficult, but not the easiest to understand either. Some of the parameters and amp models require you to hold down the tap button while turning a knob. This is difficult to do with one hand, so I have to take points off for that. Saving patches is easy, except that you have to hold down the button for 3 seconds until the LED stops flashing(but you can't see the LED because your finger is covering it). It would be faster to have a separate memory button. The editor software for your computer seems easy enough to use, but I haven't bought a MIDI interface yet, so I can't comment too much about that.
Sound Quality
:
10
Here's where the V-Amp2 shines! The tube amp models sound surprising good. You don't get that electronic sounding distortion that comes from cheap pedals, what you get is that sweet tone that you hear about in guitar mags. I play it with a Gibson The Paul II and a Mex Strat, both sound great. I can dial up the heaviest sound I ever dreamed of or get that edge-of-distortion blues sound and everything in between. Some people complain about the clean sounds. I have been able to program a few excellent clean patches, it just takes a bit more time to find them. The V-Amp2 makes noise, but not artificial noise from the circuitry, the kind that you would hear if you were in the same room as a high-gain amp turned up. The noise gate eliminates the noise while retaining sustain for days. I run the V-Amp through a small mixer, then into my stereo receiver. I cut back on the bass, and it sounds excellent for bedroom playing.
Reliability
:
No Opinion
For what it is, a desktop recording effect, is should be adequately reliable. I don't intend to take it anywhere to gig, but if I did, I would consider gettig a hard case for it.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
N/A
Overall Rating
:
10
I was interested in the V-Amp 1, but at the time there were rumors that there would be another version coming out soon. I held off buying it and when I saw the V-Amp 2 in my Musician's Friend catalog for $129, the same price as the original, I had to buy it. I wouldn;t dream of purchasing a piece of music equipment without first checking out the user reviews on Harmony-central.com. About halfway through the reviews, my mind way made up.
I like to play Santana, SRV, AC/DC, Sabbath, Metallica, Iron Maiden and the V-Amp 2 is a perfect match. Having access to a large variety of guitar tones has reignited my interest in playing. The bang-for-your-buck is so good on this little box, I would recommend it to anyone who plays guitar. Even if you never record or play live, the V-Amp will be worth many times its price to you.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $129.99
Submitted 06/17/2002
at 07:12am
by HipCat
Email: HipCat_Meowsic<at>hotmail dot com
Ease of Use
:
8
I thought the unit was not difficult to use if you're happy with the presets (which are pretty nice) but when it comes to editing the parameters its difficult to say the least. Without the software Behringer provides online for editing I wouldn't tweek parameters much beyond EQ, Drive, and amp style.
I give it an 8 based on the fact that the software is provided free online and anyone with a computer can edit the paramters very easily. But if you're looking for something that's easy to program straight from the panel, its not that easy.
If I were to suggest anything to Behringer about this unit it would be to put a multifunction LCD display on this with a nice interface panel. But obviously this is how they keep cost down (which isn't all bad).
Sound Quality
:
10
The sounds on this thing are fantastic. I love modern high gain amps and classic rock sounds and this unit reproduces them pretty nicely. The amp sims are a bit dark to be 100% realistic but I believe that once I get tweeking the parameters with the software provided online I will be able to get the sounds I am looking for. The other amps are of course cool but I wouldn't be using them for much beyond very limited sessions & perhaps bass guitar work.
The effects on this unit are also really nice. Again once you play with the software you notice that there's more to the effects engine than just that one knob on the unit itself. It's a shame that they couldn't beef up the interface because I like what I see in the software for editing the effects engine parameters (as well as everything else).
Now - what you've all wondered: how does it sound compared to the POD? IMHO, this unit beats the POD for sound quality and here's why... The amp simulations are more touch sensative like a real tube amp would be. Now its not perfect by any means but I tried the POD out many times before buying the V-amp and the POD sounded OK but when put side by side to the V-amp I liked the V-amp better.
Look around online for more comparisons between the POD and V-amp. I think you'll find that similar thoughts abound.
Reliability
:
7
So far I've had it for only a week so I've not taken it on the road but I will be doing something to protect the main unit. the footpedal is a metal beast which needs no babying. But the main unit is made of plastic and needs some protection. If I had built this unit I would have sprung for the extra $50 to put it into a rackmount unit because that's all I use is rack gear or pedals. These funky shaped tabletop boxes are awful. I use a Roland TD-8 and its the same way! YUK! I do plan to bring this V-amp into my guitar rig for gigging and here's what I plan to do. I will probably build either a 19 inch rack drawer specially designed to hold this unit or I will build a "briefcase" sized case for it which will sit on top of my cabinet I use for gigs. The problem with doing that is that you must view the unit from the TOP and that poses some problems for mounting it anywhere. But whatever I do I will certainly protect the fragile plastic knobs. But for the price (which is what I really care about next to timbre) I like this unit.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Only had it for a week. Most often customer service sucks no matter where you go.m If you want some advice: learn how to fix your own gear. It's cheaper in the long run and as long as you can find the parts you won't pay $50/hr for labor from either the guitar shop or the company who made the unit.
Overall Rating
:
9
My studio rigs are all tube rigs and solid state amps/distortions are rarely used for retro effect only. The V-amp isn't a tube amp in a plastic box but it comes close enough "for government work". Is it really that good? Well, without tweeking it on the second day of owning it I decided to simply turn it on & dial up a Modern High Gain and play "Judgement Day" from Van Halen's For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge album on my EVH guitar. The default was SO CLOSE to the original Soldano SLO-100 he used on the record that it gave me the chills. On the other hand there is no default that comes even close to the sound of Eddie's tone on Van Halen 1 but I'm sure with a little programming I'll get it down. I then grabbed a Telecaster and dialed up a Fender Tweed type sound and played "Start me up" by the Rolling Stones and again my hair stood on end to the quality of sound I heard. But SRV tones couldn't be found anywhere on the box as a default. This is where programming the box becomes all important and if you're looking for good presets ... you need to make them yourself.
Bottom line: Once I rackmount this thing I will hide it from the listening audience and use it like this: guitar -> V-amp -> Power Amp -> 2x12 speaker cabinet. If I can program the unit well enough I am banking on giving the listener EVERYTHING they expect in a show from my amp rig and I won't need to lug around a 4x12 anymore.
That's my goal. Only time will tell if it works that well or not.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $150.00
Submitted 06/09/2002
at 02:42pm
by Steve Johnson
Email: SteveyJman<at>aol dot com
Ease of Use
:
10
A piece of cake to use, even for us guitar players.
Sound Quality
:
10
I only tried this thing out as an afterthought while waiting for my buddy who was demoing some guitars at George,s Music. I did,nt really need another amp modeler (I already have a Digitech GNX2 and a Line 6 flextone II ) ,and anyway it only cost a fraction of these other popular units so it couldn,t be very good could it? !!! WRONG !!! I played this thing through a Fender Hotrod deluxe seeing that this was the amp I used for gigging live, and to my utter amazement this thing sounded better than anything I,ve ever played bar none. I kid you not this thing is probably the best kept secret in the Guitar universe because I read practically every endorsement ad in the top mags and I have never heard anything good or bad about this unit. It comes closer to modeling tube amps than anything out there. This little blueboy smokes!!!!1
Reliability
:
No Opinion
Seems Ok but I havn,t had it very long.
Customer Support
:
8
Very good web page.
Overall Rating
:
10
I play all styles of music ,mostly Christian Rock; My main axes are Ibanez JS100; Custom Strat with EMGs ; Epipone 335 copy; I was using a Digitech GNX2 in front of a Fender 410 Hotrod Deluxe but now I use the Vamp2 instead; I like this Fender amp for it,s clean tube sound which works very well with multifx boxes; I only use my Line ^ Flextone II for small in a hurry type situations; I have a home recording studio and have been playing guitar for 25 years. The Vamp2 is yhe best thing out there for less than $1000.00 and better than some over that price. I would surely buy another if this one were stolen or damaged but I,m hopeing Behringer will make a Vamp3 Pro or something.This thing is so inexpensive at $150.00 that I feel like I,ve cheated somebody.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: 219 (Euros)
Submitted 06/08/2002
at 12:50am
by JOHN TRYFONAS
Ease of Use
:
9
First of all, it is very easy unit to use. There are 125 presets, organised in 25 banks, which lets you dial your favourite preset instantly without having to change settings to get another sound.The manual is good but not perfect, in my opinion is a little bit brief for what this unit do, but go yourself and explore this little toy!Also it is very easy to upgrade it, due to the easy replacement of an EPROM chip.
The design is superb;I like the LEDs around the pots, which is very innovative as POD and other Vamp competitors don't have this thing. The case it's plastic, metallic blue (it gives you the sense that it is metallic) and it has the funky shape of a guitar body.A two-digit screen indicates you the preset number and it has special indications for the tuner.
I'll give it a 9 because there are some little faults, such like the little lag when you change the presets and the absense of and ON/OFF switch!
Sound Quality
:
10
I have an Epiphone Les Paul Standard, a Marshall MG50 combo and a Boss HM-3 pedal (heavy metal distortion).I plug this unit with my combo when I practice and I ensure you that it is very nice playing it with an amp.It is a bit muddy when playing with the amp, but a hell better than the drive channel of my 50 watt combo! In other words,it gives you the character of the tube amp stacks!
It is noisy, especially in the high gain models, but this can be solved by adjusting the noise gate.
The effects are all descent.There are enough parameters which allows you to tailor them, but the units design limits you in a way that you can't combine an effect with another (e.g. comressor with delay), but by downloading the editors software from behringer.com, you can use a modulation, a time-based effect and wah, compression, reverb all together!
Delay and echo are very nice, I think chorus and flanger are not of good quality. But in general, there are all very affordable.
But the highlight of this unit is the amp and the cabinet simulations!In few secs I can get from Slash's sound to Chuck Berry's fenderish tone! You can also play heavy metal whith this baby (Iron Maiden, Metallica and Slayer). Also the cab sims are very usable, as changing cabs,your tone is changing dramatically!
My favourite amp models are Brithish Hi Gain (Marshall JCM800),Modern Hi Gain (Soldano SLO) and the Fender Blackface Twin.In fact there are all precious!
Reliability
:
9
Although it is made of plastic, it seems durable. The lack of an on/off switch is stupid.
Customer Support
:
9
I have never contacted the company. It is came with a year's guarantee.If it is ever upgrated, I will definately do the upgrade, as it is very easy, and you don't need to buy again the unit (you only have to order and replace a chip).
Overall Rating
:
10
I play for five years. I play mostly hard rock and blues. My favourite guitarists are Slash,Jimmy Page and Joe Perry.If it was stollen, I would buy it again, as it is very affordable. I love the vast choices this unit gives you and I hate...nothing!Compared with POD and other amp-modelling units, V-amp kicks asses! It is cheaper, better and a step forward its competitors!I love most the amp sims, not that the other sucks!This thing comes with a gig bag, a footswitch and an adaptor, so what else do you need? Having V-amp for only one month, helped me improve my style and technique. For questions, my e-mail is: johnt_gr@hotmail.com
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: 159 (EUR)
Submitted 06/07/2002
at 06:36pm
by Tom
Ease of Use
:
9
That gear is realy easy to use. There is no need to climb through walls of parameters, just ajust potis to cerate an sound. Real smashing is the accsess via midi and de V-Amp Desingn Software (with a PC). It couldn't be easier to create patches and store them in liberies.
Sound Quality
:
9
I'm a real picky tube-sound freak, and after 10 years of trying almost everything i found my heaven in a peavey 5150 head through a 70's soundcity 4x12. I was intrested in the v-amp to use as practice-amp - and this purpose it is absolutely great!. After a few weeks it took it to rehearsal too try it live. I put it in the effect-loop-return of a marshall-head - woow!! This gear kicks! Here is my favorite: use the J. Arrendondo simuation w/o any effects and run direct into the poweramp. GRRRRRRR!! I played it with a custom 70's Strat and a PRS CE 24 - woa! But make sure to have a good poweramp. But let us be fair: This device for about 150 $ can't simulate the behavior of a realy good tube-amp. Check a PRS with a Monster prolink into a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier, and you'll know what i mean.
Reliability
:
No Opinion
The housing semms to be a bit fragile, but i think it'll be strong enough for a gig. I never use anything w/o a backup, but i think i can depend on the v-amp.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Behringer's Website are good and those devices are not going to damage anyway. So....
Overall Rating
:
9
Overall i would give it a 10, but there are two things missing: a powerswitch, and a effect-loop. The 9 will fit, because it is a realy all-you-can-eat in the tube-amp world. The sound is great, and with the matching poweramp pressure you'll get a real full-stack feeling. And the price is fantastic!!!!
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: 145 (Euro)
Submitted 06/06/2002
at 02:44am
by Lordbuggy
Email: lordbuggy<at>gmx dot de
Ease of Use
:
9
first of all: This thing is a great device. Don't hesitate, buy it!
Excelent knobs with LED's (only the double allocation for the treble/precense and the effect knob is a little bit confusing). A generell "shift button" would have been nice, but you get alonge without. The grey color that they have chosen for the second row of amps is difficult to read. The tuner is not good (takes a long time to get a right tune).
The footswitch is of great quality. The cable-locations around the device is not a economical choise.
The aux in is a good idea and it works perfectly. Same goes for the headphones.
A real great idea are the different setup modes which let you select specific configurations for the left and the right output. 5 modes for studio, live, monitoring etc. Great idea.
Sound Quality
:
9
Yeah, this thing rules. Ok, don't expect a real Marshall full stack sound from your small stero when you try it, but the sounds are defenetly very good. And you can realy here a difference. Not all of them are of same quality, and i can't tell if the eq knobs effect each other like they do on the original amps, but i don't care. As long as i get a good and flexible tone.
FX section:
Some are great, others not (like allways).
THe auto wahwah is no use at all to me (maybe i just don't know how to handle this thing).
The phaser and the tremolo are good, the delay time could be longer but is good to.
Non of the FX are very impressing, but it's fun to work with them in this easy way.
Reliability
:
No Opinion
2 Months is not enogh time to comment on this !
Customer Support
:
2
Well, we're talking about Behringer so don't expect much service. You pay a tenth of the price this thing is worth so it's understandable that they have to save money somewhere (not only with the poor documentation :-)
For a product in this price-range I do not care about service - but buying a complex live mixer for intensiv use? Then choose a Mackie!
Overall Rating
:
10
Before i bought this device i didn't record much e-guitar stuff cause it took so much time to set up all the mic stuff.
But now i just plug the vamp in and start recording. And playing with it is so much fun. I recorded some clean old marshall hendrix stuff (the plexi amp realy kicks as), some steve vai high gain/lot of reverb n sustain stuff, some Nickelback style, blues, funk (still didn't find a realy good funk setup) and it was so great. A friend of mine has a small studio and so i grap my guitar and the vamp - get my ass up there and we start recording (little hint for cubase user: Virtual guitarrist is a GENIUSS plugin).
If you like playing different styles of music, you like trying out new things and you are interested in eady recording: buy this.
I'll soon start using it live, although I'm still a little sceptical about that :-)
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: Can
Submitted 05/31/2002
at 08:05pm
by Rob
Email: abkkel<at>telus dot net
Ease of Use
:
9
Very easy to use, one trip through the manual and your done. I was actually very impressed with how quickly I was editing , storing etc. I thought the manual is well wriitien and easy to refer to. I was able to get very usable sounds within first hour.
Sound Quality
:
9
I think the sound quality is awesome. I am always complimented on my tone. People are surprised when they see my rig. No its not a tube, but better than any multi effect pedal, amp modeler I've tried. I use a G&L ASAT Classic, Tacoma acoustic (Yep through the V-amp), LP copy with Dimarzios, and a Fernandes 5 string bass. The reason i like the v-amp 2 so much is that I am able to get great tone from my electrics even within the volume cranked. In alot of venues I can't always have a good tube amp cranked up to where I can get decent sound out of it. The V-amp sounds good any any volume. I also like the bypass feature, I actually use bypass with a little chorus and revrb for my acoustic, it works awesome. Its nice not having to pack alot of gear around. I usually just plug strait into PA. I give it a 9 because in my mind a good tube amp for my electrics is still best, but for the money and the versatility this thing affords me its a 10.
Reliability
:
9
So far no problem. I don't have a back up so if it quits, so do I.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Overall Rating
:
10
This is where it gets a 10. For the money this thing is great. I am looking forward to see what technology does in the future for amp modelling etc, should be awesome. I have been playing for a long time. I play guitar and bass. I am a worship leader at our church and sometimes volume is an issue, this is where the v-amp is helpful. If your reading these reviews thinking of buying one, you won't be dissapointed, well 1 in 20 of you might. This is a great recording tool, practice tool(plug cd player in and jam),and a great performing tool. If it were stolen( I don't lose things), I would go get another, they are affordable.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $130
Submitted 05/29/2002
at 02:26pm
by Robert Morgan
Email: robnoxious1<at>earthlink dot net
Ease of Use
:
10
The unit is very easy to use and editing the patches was very easy after a short time with the manual.
Sound Quality
:
10
Im using this mainly with my Jackson soloist though I have had my Strat and EMG loaded V plugged in and was pleased. I bought it primarily as a practice and home recording tool and am very pleased with it for this purpose. It is a little noisey on the high gain settings but so is my tube half stack so it reflects the real thing in that aspect.I have found a few very good clean presets but I found all of the distorted ones to sound very muddy,fuzzy and over-scooped. However with a lot of tweaking I managed to dial in some very good distorted tones out of it. Ive found the effects to be really useless for distorted patches (kills the tone) and except for the reverb they get turned off. The cleans I use I've left alone thus far. Ive recorded with it at home and Its been great. Also sounds good through my headphones and PA.
Reliability
:
No Opinion
I wouldnt recommend rough handling this unit, seems pretty frail in my opinion.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Never had to deal with Behringer so I dont know yet.
Overall Rating
:
10
I play all styles of rock from Chuck Berry to Slayer and this thing excels at it all. Ive been playing for around fifteen years now and wanted something that sounded good at low volume that I could use at home that doesnt cost an arm and a leg. This unit is great for it. I dont see this unit replacing my Boogie head but its great for what I got it for. I think this might not be a very good unit for a live situation due to it having a horrible lag between the patches when changing channels. I would definitely replace this unit if it were to disappear.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $129
Submitted 05/29/2002
at 11:23am
by Kcrichard
Email: rtapotter<at>prodigy dot net
Ease of Use
:
9
Very simple to use; love the variety of tones. Manual is good.
Sound Quality
:
9
Schecter C1+; American do-it-yourself Strat kit; Fender MB5 Bass. Effects are pretty good, but I still use some stomp boxes and a Cry Baby; I don't care for the auto-wah. Using this for recording plus through a house pa system at church. I find it very easy to copy tones of a variety of artists, music genres, etc.
Reliability
:
8
No trouble so far; bought in March 2002.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
???
Overall Rating
:
9
I have been playing guitar since 1970. Used to gig through a Music Man RD110 Fifty watt combo, it's just too heavy to lug around anymore and besides the Deuce is a Tone Monster! Stomp boxes includ Dan Electro mini tremelo and compressor pedals, Ibanez echo/delay and chorus/flanger pedals, and Boss tuner. The boss tuner is better than the Deuce, but the Deuce is adequate. Love the fact that the Deuce comes with a footswitch AND padded carrying case; the POD does not. Would definitely buy Behringer again. Favorite amp setting: tweed combo. Exellent, ballsy, beefy, bassy tone. There are too many amp settings, and I haven't had enough time to mess with the cabinet settings. Definitely helps make music.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: #135 UK sterling
Submitted 05/25/2002
at 11:46am
by Tom
Ease of Use
:
10
This unit takes a fair bit of tweaking to get the best sound out of it, as it has 15 different cab sims and 32 amp sims. Editing patches is very easy, as all you have to do is turn the controls and when you get the sound you like, hold down the button that is flashing. The manual explains everything you need to know.
Sound Quality
:
9
I use this running into the input of my Kustom KGA65, with all the EQ set at 12 o'clock. I think it sounds great. I found that you need to toy with the global EQ as it gets harsh on some settings. It does get noisy on higher-gain settings, but all you need to do is turn up the noise-gate. I dont use any effects with my distortion patches, but I like to use a light phaser on my clean sounds (which I think sounds great). I don't really like the rotating speaker effect.
Reliability
:
8
I would depend on the unit, even though it is made out of plastic, as it is pretty strong. The footswitch is made out of metal, and seems very strong.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
N/A
Overall Rating
:
10
I think this sounds great for all kinds of music. I like the distortions on this. I played thru the dist channel of my SS amp, then played thru the V-Amp and the V-Amp sounded a lot better. overall this is a great piece of gear and for a great price.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $129.00 +TAX
Submitted 05/21/2002
at 07:05pm
by OJH
Ease of Use
:
6
It takes a little getting used to. Fiddled around with the presets - some are good while others are interesting but hardly usable in a real scenario (unless maybe some funky SFX). Manual is comprehensive and does give a general roadmap around the box.
Sound Quality
:
9
I use Ibanez RG and S models both with Wizard II necks (different pickups and coil splits) running directly into Cubase VST (PC). This box sounds beautiful. After some tweaking, got a tone almsot identical to a Mesa Boogie Twin-V. Clean tones are sparkling clean with no distortion audible no matter how hard you play. On high gain settings there is a little bit of noise but the noise gate handles this well. A very wide range of tones and extremely versatile box. It can pump out anything from Satriani to Petrucci to Clapton (without a lot of work). The EQ however does very little to shape the overall tone (part of the reason for the 9 score). I guess the amp characteristics are the reason (they might be emulated TOO well).
All the same, it gives the Line 6 POD a run for it's money.
The Effects are good for an amp simulator but if you want serious quality - buy a Lexicon processor and use it in conjunction with the V-AMP. To record direct, this is one of the best sounding box I have ever played through - A definite recommendation!
Reliability
:
9
Haven't used it live, but it's great in the recording room! No problems so far. Build quality is good - a metal body would have been nice.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Haven't delt with them yet!
Overall Rating
:
9
I play progressive and experimental rock as well as write compositions for different media (background music, theatrical score etc.) The V-AMP is versatile enough to cover the spectrum nicely. If it were stolen, I'd definetely buy another one (right after I visit the guy who swiped it). Blows the POD right out of the water for less than half the price (and comes with a nice bag too). It could use a power switch and maybe even a bigger and more comprehensive display - but the LED rotary knobs make up for that by far!
If you're into playing guitar and home recording (or even professional recording) - go out and buy one today! This thing sounds really good and for the price it's better than an arsenal of Marshalls and Mesa Boogies!
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: #130
Submitted 05/21/2002
at 12:38pm
by Anonymous
Ease of Use
:
No Opinion
THE CONCISE MANUAL ENSURES YOU ARE EDITING AND STORING PATCHES QUICKLY AND EASILY; THE FREE WEBSITE SOFTWARE OPENS UP THE UNIT FOR FURTHER EDITING
Sound Quality
:
No Opinion
EFFECTS PARAMETERS ARE FAIRLY LIMITED, BUT THE ADDITION OF THE MIDI FLOOR CONTROLLER SHOULD HELP EXPAND REALTIME PARAMETER MODULATION
Reliability
:
10
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Overall Rating
:
No Opinion
GREAT VARIETY OF AMP MODELS, PERHAPS TOO MANY. VERY CONVINCING RANGE OF SOUNDS, CABINETS SIMS ARE BASIC EQ VARIETIES. NOISE GATE IS A LITTLE HEAVY HANDED BUT OVERALL THIS LITTLE UNIT ROCKS AND IS A GOOD (MUCH CHEAOER) ALTERNATIVE TO THE PODS!
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: 220 (CAN)
Submitted 05/21/2002
at 06:52am
by Anonymous
Ease of Use
:
9
As soon that is out of the box you plug it in and you're good to go.
(It's complicated if you don't know how to read) since it's well identified -input, output, volume etc...
Editing patch is not that easy but once you understand it's a breeze.
You just have to do some reading and you will be trouble free. For editing patches, i recommend using the editor from v-amp.com or behringer.com : with this software you won't have any trouble at all and you'll have a couple more parameters for certain effects. And you will be able to use compressor, with modulation, delay and reverb all at once wich you can't do without the software. (I didn't find a way if there is one) My v-amp 2 is the latest version and wasn't an update.
Sound Quality
:
9
I used the V-amp with the cab sim bypassed. It sounded awesome but was a little bit noisy and i had to crank the noise gate a bit. This will depend on how loud you will play, the closeness of your amp and your guitar pickups. When use through a P.A. with the Cab sim it's not noisy. All the effects are great but the compressor lacks a little bit. It doesn't change my sound a lot. (Maybe i didn't find the right setting yet) When using a FCB1010 Floorboard with it, when changing programs, it changes instantly, there is no delay. There is a little delay when changing realtime values like the WAH but that's it. With that unit getting any sound is possible, it just need a lot of practice and a good hear and you need to know you effects.
Reliability
:
10
I think it's very reliable. It's been only a couple of weeks since i had it but i have a lot of behringer products and they never let me down.
Customer Support
:
8
I have contacted them via e-mail a couple of times and there is only one time that they never got back to me other than that they responded real fast.
Overall Rating
:
10
Before buying try other units. Your hear is what is important. If you like it then buy it. Sound is a matter of taste. I've been playing for about 10 year and i tried a lot of gear, even the POD and to my hear, i like the V-Amp best cause it's more aggressive. For recording it's the greatest thing ever cause there is no miking. On the following adress there's a comparison between the POD, V-AMP 1, J-Station etc. http://www.dthraco.com/competition.htm Take a look and visit v-amp.com to listen to the V-amp...And for the price the V-AMP is a steal ; it supasses all those other units
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $129
Submitted 05/18/2002
at 04:53am
by DenverDave
Email: dgar333 at attbi<dot>com
Ease of Use
:
8
This thing does everything I want. You have to really read through the manual to get the best out of the unit, but once you do, it's really easy to use and create your own sounds. Because of the simplicity of the layout, it's a little more difficult to change certain parameters of different effects than it would be for your average rack unit. The lighted knobs are great, though, especially when using the unit live in a low light situation.
Sound Quality
:
9
I will be using this for recording soon, but for now I'm using it live in a band with a couple of Charvel guitars, a Crybaby wah, and a Mosvalve stereo power amp into two 2-12 cabs. Most of the factory presets are noisy at high volume, but if you adjust the settings (volume, noise gate, gain, etc) they are much quieter than my old GSP 21.
In stereo, this thing sounds KILLER. The amp models are quite good. I compared this unit to the J-Station and POD 2.0. Almost every amp model and effect was as good or better on the V-Amp than either of the others. The Engl amp model is especially good, and it's not offered on the POD or J-Station. Considering that the V-Amp is less than half the price of a POD, and a few dollars cheaper than the J-Station, why would anyone buy anything else?
Reliability
:
No Opinion
Don't know yet about the reliability of this unit. It's plastic, and the connections seem a little "wiggly". Probably because of the plastic case. I bought another one to use as a backup, just in case. I gig with this thing, so I can't afford to take a chance. At this price though, even if it wigged out on me, I would consider it money well spent.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Never dealt with Behringer, but they have upgrades for free on their website.
Overall Rating
:
10
Great unit. Use it in stereo(either through a good, clean, stereo power amp, headphones, or for recording), and it will do whatever you want. Everything from clean jazz to molten metal. I would have paid $600-700 for this thing 10 years ago. With this unit, the Behringer MIDI pedal, and my stereo power amp, I'm in heaven. I've been playing for about 25 years, and this is the single best piece of equipment I've ever purchased. I've owned great tube amps, expensive rack gear, pedals, etc. You CANNOT go wrong with this unit for only $130.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: 100 (#)
Submitted 05/08/2002
at 03:23pm
by Anonymous
Ease of Use
:
10
You'll have it up and workin in 10 mins
Sound Quality
:
No Opinion
As good as it needs to be. I mean, if you were a good musician then surely it wouldn't matter what you played a good tune on - it'd still be a good tune right. As for 'it'll never rival a real amp blah,blah,blah' forget it. you can get any sound you want or will ever need out of it.
Reliability
:
No Opinion
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Overall Rating
:
10
like i said you can play pretty much any style of music on it, all to a superb quality - and if ur still complaining then maybe you should think about giving up the guitar cos you cant be that good.
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $125
Submitted 05/06/2002
at 04:36pm
by Lars Slate
Email: lars<at>LarsSlate dot com
Ease of Use
:
7
Its pretty easy to use. Instead of 5 banks of 25 I wish it was one bank to 125 and have a rotary knob to select. But overall its pretty easy.
Sound Quality
:
7
Compared to others like the POD its a 10 but compared to real amps its a 7. The sounds are nice, but it is still transitor sounding.
I cranked up my Tri-Axis/2-90 after using this and it was night and day. For recording clean its great, for distortion its pretty good. Never will replace a speaker and tubes btu its great for pratice and concept recording.
Reliability
:
10
So far all my Behringers have worked great.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Overall Rating
:
10
Over all its a awesome deal. The foot switch alone is 60+ bucks. All metal footswitch. This thing is worth every penny. Its great for practicing and recording concept demos for your band and some sounds are even good for real recordings. This thing will not replace your AMP but it is must have for every guitarist.
Biggest Compaint - Who forgot the power switch, that is insane!
www.LarsSlate.com
Product: Behringer V-Amp 2
Price Paid: US $129
Submitted 05/04/2002
at 08:18pm
by Jason
Ease of Use
:
10
It took a few days to start getting really good sounds but that can be expected of any unit that has any sort of depth. Editing patches is simple and takes only a few seconds.
Sound Quality
:
10
I use an Epiphone sg and Carvin lb76 six string bass both with stock pickups. I play through a small bass amp combo and headphones. I have yet to try the v-amp through a large amp or straight into a PA. As others have stated the high gain patches can be noisy but this is easily remedied with the noise gate without much loss of tone. The amp models aimed more towards blues and classic rock sound great and come very close to replicating the original amp's characteristics. As far as bass, the clean patches sound great when paired with the compressor. It doesn't add obnoxious amounts of tone shaping to the original tone coming from the bass (something most effects boxes fail at). I wouldn't advise getting a V-amp if effects are your main concern because this wasn't designed to just be an effects box. The effects are, however, very useable albeit not as good as a good stand alone pedal. The phaser, compressor, delay, and tremelo are particularly nice.
Reliability
:
7
I would consider using this live depending on the type of gig. I wouldn't use it in a bar or in a situation where a lot of people are moving around onstage. An all metal case would have been a big plus but you could always fix up some sort of box or case to house it in for live gigs.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
N/A
Overall Rating
:
10
On guitar I write music for a hardcore band(a la dillinger escape plan, converge, today is the day, etc.) that I play in. It sounds great for this type of music. I also play a fair amount of traditional jazz of which I have to say there's no substitute for a real tube amp and semi-hollow bodied guitar. I also play a lot neo-classical/modern progressive music and I can get a nice yngwie or petrucci sound out of the V-amp. On bass I play a lot of different things. As I said the V-amp doesn't color the basses actual tone very much so the sounds you can get on bass depends very much on the bass you're using. I can get a sound very close to that of John Patitucci as well as most music using modern jazz basses. The V-amp definately helps in making music and is great for recording.
|
Page:
1 2 3 4
(Show 10 | 25 | 50 | 100 reviews per page)
|
Showing 201 -
300
of 322 reviews
|
|