Behringer V-Amp 2

Well, I think the manual stinks in trying to explain how to edit and create your own sounds.
And you can't just fiddle with it out of the box, you'll get nowhere except going through the presets.
The controls seem all backwards, maybe I'm dyslexic, but if you want preset C-18, well you have to shift up/down to 18 THEN press bank C. The logical way would have been selecting bank C THEN going though the different presets of that bank. All very confusing for nothing.
I've had it for 3 months now and still haven't figured how to create my own sounds..... I just browse through the presets.
And please, who is the imbecile that decided to use that matte gold/brownish color on the body for the lettering. You can't see it at all, even with good lighting it is very difficult to read what's written there. A really bad choice of colors, possibly the worst I've ever seen anywhere on a product.
The power cord is a hassle to connect to the body too, it uses a round 4 pin connector which is very difficult to align to plug in. They could've at least painted a white line on the body and on the connector tip to help aligh them at first view.
All in all, full of very bad design flaws.
Thus, my score is low for this, a 3.

The sound is really good. Not as authentic as a Pod, but then it's a third of the price too.
I say it can replace a whole set of pedals for practicing, but I would not use it professionally. It's not THAT good.
Let's say that it's a real fun gadget for under $200.00.
Of course, I haven't figured out how to create my own patches with it. Although I don't think that would change much of my opinion.

I always take extra care when handling it, it seems so flimsy.
The plastic feels cheap.
Don't drop it would be my ultimate advice.

Haven't had to deal with them.

This was a X-mas gift.
Ultimately I wanted a Pod, but it was a tad expensive to ask for as a gift, lol.
I use it everyday, I kinda like it..... although there's no love between us yet. I don't know if it will eventually come to that.
It can be useful as a practice gadget because it replaces many pedals and is not cumbersome. But I would not bring it to a recording or a live session. First it doesn't sound good enough, second it's way too fragile, and third it's way too complicated to set rapidly.
My guess is that I will eventually dish out the $$ and get myself a Pod.
My son can use the V-amp then if he wants.

I have already reviewed this product. This is an update.

Do NOT play this thru. a guitar amp or a guitar cab of any kind. It makes it sound like complete ass.

Play this thru full range speakers. (Doesn't really matter what kind, but the flatter the repsonse, the better.)

Headphones cause you to loose alot of the bottom end signal, so it makes it sound thin. Headphones are for silent practice, not for dialing in and tweaking amp patches. NEVER dial in tones with headphones that you intend to use for recording. (See note above regarding sounding like ass.)

If nothing else, buy a $15 pair of powered PC speakers. You will be amazed at how good this thing really sounds.

I found this thing pretty simple to use. Sounds pretty good outta the box, although most of the presets are not that great. The exceptions being the SRV, VH, and AC/DC sounds are pretty dead on. It takes a little tweaking to get what you want, but not that difficult and actually pretty fun to do.

The knobs are labeled according with a bright red LED to let you see what you are doing. The only major issues I have are the way the amp models are labeled. Some of them are labeled in a very bright white while others are in a darker grey that can be difficult to see without the proper lighting.

Also, to open some editing options is abit of a pain. You sometimes need to hold the tap button or hit two buttons at the same time to open up some features. Not difficult, but you should definately read the manual first.

The editing software is where this thing really shines. Plain and simple drag and drop menus, and everything is at your fingertips. If I were gigging with this I would prefer to have a cheap and small laptop nearby hooked up to this for ease of use.

As far as the sounds go, I like them. Now I know you're never gonna get that "classic tube" sound from emulation...but I'm very happy. My roomate has a 59 bassman and we compared the two and they sound very good. I personally like the modified marshall, the Vox AC30 and Fender Twin models. Lots of good combinations can be had.

The effects sound pretty good too. The reverbs are excellent. The chorus is nice and lush. The delays are easy to set-up with the software. The auto-wah is pretty decent too, although a foot controller is highly recommended to get the exact sound you want. The compressor can be a little noisy, but thats nothing new. Just apply the noise gate and you're good to go. For the price, you definately can't beat the flexibility.

This is another big issue with me. The model is made of a hardened plastic, not metal. I'd be afraid of dropping or stepping on this thing and watching it malfuntion. Although I haven't had any problems with this, I'm not sure if I would take it out gigging and put it on the floor. Now if I had a nearby table that would be another issue, just be careful.

I haven't had to deal with Behringer at all. Although Guitar Center said if anything goes wrong with it in the next 2 years to just bring it in.

I play a mixture of different styles. Anything from classical to rock, from blues to metal, and everything in between. For price and flexibilty of this project I would say it is a great deal. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the POD XT, but this is also a third of the price. This unit has made practicing and playing fun again and I would hate for anything to happen to it. If something happened to it I would most certainly replace it.

For me it was very easy to use right out of the box, but those not familiar how processors work it may be difficult to start editing, but I'd say sit an hour with it and the manual and you'll certainly be able to do anything on it, besides every kind of effect has to be tinkered with before you know what you're doing.
The manual is very detailed, almost too detailed, may look intimidating at first, but I promise it's not as many things to remember as you think. Even if you can't figure out the editing right away, the presets are quite amazing.

I play everything from Blues to Punk to Country
My main setup: Self made strat with Seymour Invader in bridge position-->V-amp 2---> Custom wired Kustom 2x12(120watts)w/ 2 Celestion super 65 speakers.
My setup is built for extremely high gain.
Since my setup is was made for high gain at first I was having problems with alot of feedback when the volume was up on my amp. Simple Solution was turning the noise gate up and boom problem solved. Also since my set up was made for high gain my clean before was not very desireable, a little teaking around with it and my clean was wonderful.
The effects are very flexible and all have excellent sound quality.
The auto wah is the only effect I would consider sub par.

Most of the cab models are almost perfect (especially for the price) some are quite a bit off, but for 100$ this unit delivers far beyond what you would expect.

I can agree with the other guys here, go directly to the guitar input in your amp. With headphones it is excellent espicially for guys that travel alot and don't have the luxury of having an amp all the time. I have not tried it through my cpu yet.

The V-amp2 it self is rather goofy plastic crap. So if you were it wouldn't kill you ot make a protective box or something for it. The footpedal is metal, I see no problem with it other than the chord is actually atached to the body and doesn't plug in. So if it were to go out or short, there would be no switching on the fly.
My friend uses his to gig with out a back up and has for quite sometime but we built him a protective casefor his(hint). As for me I'm not sure if I will use it to gig yet, mainly because of the slight delay while switching between presets.

Never had to deal with them neither has my friend.

This hting is good for any style. If it were stolen I would get another. I have owned 2 Zoom pedals and numerous other single effects from Digitech and Boss.
This little unit can out gun anythign within 100$(maybe a little more) I garantee. If I had the luxury of being able to spend 1000$ on a processor I would probally get one, but I don't so if your like me and working on a budget have no worries with the V-amp 2 it will not disapoint you, for 100$ I couldn't be happier.

It was very easy to start dialing in authentic sounds. I've owned most of the amps labeled on the panel, and with the help of the compressor, can come SCARY close. I wasn't interested in the presets, and immediately began creating my own dream collection. The manual is way too much, since they give it to in every language in modern time, and for three different products. What a waste of paper! I'm unaware of the version, but it's dated 0704. Upgraded? Not to my knowledge. The inputs and outputs need to be labeled with larger, brighter letters, like the rest of it. I like to work in studios and stages with low-lwvwl lighting, and it was a hassle seeing the dark grey lettering.

Sound quality is exceptional, especially since it costs the same as a bogus Tubescreamer or boss delay! I use mostly vintage reisssue type guitars, real vintage tube amps, and handwired stuff, and this unit works well for that type of stuff. I also do a good bit of sessions, where its easier and more profitable to go direct, and it does that extremely well, too. I generally don't use noise reduction on the guitar, since I'm not a high gainer, but putting it through its paces, it seems like a decent, workable NR effect for the high gain stuff. It gets ant and every sound I need ot to, from rockabilly to Hendrix to Zeppelin, to Cream, to CCR, to Kiss, to Van Halen, to STP, to me.
The effects are very good, and they're easy to edit. My main test for all units is to see how responsive to various picking/playing techniques and how well it goes from almost clean to almost overdriven. If it can transition smoothly, and respond like an amp, I like it. This unit does respond to the player's ability.

I play any and every style, depending on the situation at hand (haha). This thing seems to be able to do more than I need it to do. I've been playing since I was born, and have had too much gear to list. I'd probably get another one, maybe not, it depends on what else comes out. I really like the gigbag, footswitch, and sound of it. Great overall package, and unheard of at this price point. I've been using an Ibanez virtual amp since mid 90's, Boss ME's, Digitech RP's, vintage amps, tube, solid state cheap stuff, pedals, whatever, and this one is too cheap to pass up, plus it sounds better than anything Digitech will ever make! I immediately started pulling off new licks, when it only took a few minutes to tweek up.
***For what it's worth, and this goes for any piece of equipment: If you suck, it sucks;if you're able, it's able. As long as it turns on when it's supposed to, and stays on while you play. No reason for any complaints at this price. It does what they said it would do.

Once you have read the manual, it is reasonable easy to use. But it is hard to see the secondary labels on the controls unless the light is bright. Manual is fair, could be more complete, but it was easy to get started.

Used with 2 les pauls and a hollowbody Ibanez. The guitars all sound different and do retain their character. The V-amp2 is noisy on high gain settings, just like most amps actually. The chorus and delay are quite good effects, as is the reverb. As others have mentioned, the clean amp sims are really good (twin, small combo). I often use the V-amp to play through headphones along with using the line in for backing tracks, and for the price and versatility this thing is a great value. But still, using the V-amp2 direct as an amp substitute does leave a bit of harshness to the sound that good tube amps don't have. When I plug the V-amp2 into my fender pro reverb (clean channel), then the sound quality and warmth really blossom. Used in front of a clean warm-sounding amplifier, this unit really does give great access to lots of classic sounds with minimal expense and tweaking. I have classic Marshall, Fender, and Boogie amps also, and the models for these amps are very close. The California Drive model really does sound like my Mark II Boogie, and since I can compare them directly to each other, it is obvious they spent time doing their homework. In fact, the clean modeled boogie sounds just like a boogie clean channel. The Marshall sims are good too, and the fender sims really are great. Unlike when using the real amps, I can play without disturbing the neighbors--the real amps need to be pretty loud to sound good. I don't like the "modern" models, nor do I really like the actual amplifiers they are based on.

No problems with it, but it is not really designed to be used on stage or on road.

Never dealt with them, but: for the value Behringer gives to all of us, (I have a few other Behringer accessories) they deserve a 10. Would you rather have the V-amp2 priced at twice what it is (still cheaper than POD) and have Behringer use the money to man phone lines? I'll take the extra money myself and not worry about support.

I like this thing better than the POD 2.0 I had and sold. It is less expensive, and to me the sounds are at least as good or better. A bit less easy to use than the POD, and of cheaper construction, but what an amazing value and a very versatile piece of equipment.

The features available from knobs and buttons are easy to work with, however, you really need the editing software to be able to get access to the full flexibility of the thing. For instance, you can't get Compressor+Chorus+Delay, without the software. This would be hopeless in band practice (unless you have a computer nearby), or live if you need to make some changes.

I loved it at first and spent a lot of time playing through headphones and a small practice amp, trying out different sounds. However, then I made the misake of plugin into my Peavey Classic 30 just to get a reference to a real tube amp.

What a difference! After that, no matter how I turned the knobs, the V-Amp sounded crap. Ok, I know digital modelling can never be the "real thing", but it was surpising just how big the difference were. I made an immediate promise never to use digital amp modelling ever again (if I can avoid it).

As soon as you go from clean to mild overdrive and crunch, the low end looses all definition and the sound muddies away to an undefined fuzz with no dynamics at all.

The Blackface model is good, since it doesn't really go into overdrive. It gives you some of that sweet tube-like compression. The custom hi-gain is also a really good sustain-rich EVH-type sound.

One of the knobs broke off when I dropped the bag it was in. I managed to glue it back with some epoxy and it has stayed on since. It's a low budget piece and not really intended for serious live-duty, so be really careful with it.

I've been playing for some 15 years, but I don't play regularly in a band nowadays. I have the occacional one-off gig which can be virtually any kind of music from Black Sabbath to Andrew Lloyd Webber to Jazz. I wanted a simple piece to take to the occacional gig but mainly to play at home.

As long as you promise yourself never to go anywhere near a real tube amp, the V-Amp can probably be adequate. However, since I already got one, I'm a lost case. I'm even considering building my own low-watt tube amp just to get someting "real" to play with at home.

I bought this because i needed an effects processer and at this price i didnt expect much but i was proved wrong!
After studying the manual for 20 minutes i started to get the hang of it but some things took longer to figure out, like the edit mode and the tap control.
The presets are very good and when i wanted to create my own presets i was stuck on which bank i should replace!

I use a squier strat and a marshall g50rcd with the v-amp and it makes my guitar sound a few hundred quid better!
Some amp models are a bit muddy and i havent figured out how to fix that yet.
The effects do exactly what it says on the tin and im very happy with them. The delay, flanger and phaser are outstanding! The only one i'm not entirely satisfied with is the autowah.
I can get the sounds of my favourite artists on the v-amp, theres even on board presets for ac/dc, EVH, Dire straits and many more!

The plastic case looks quite sturdy but i wouldnt want to drop it or gig with it. The foot pedal on the other hand is solid as a rock!
I think its sufficient for "bedroom" use or in the studio and very dependable

The customer service is brilliant. The folks at behringer are kind and helpful and even hang out in yahoo groups to answer questions from people like me in their spare time!

I play rock, punk, blues, metal and ska and this box covers all the genres and more!
If this was stolen or lost i would definitely get another one because its the best in its price range.
The effects are brilliant, and so are most of the amp simulations (they're a matter of taste)
The thing that bugs me is NO OFF SWITCH! Everytime i call it a day i have to pull the cable out the back and fumble round with it trying to get it back in the next morning.
Unless you want to spend +400 euros this is the one for you!

This Behringer V-amp 2 was purchased through zzounds.com as a B stock unit. It was 80 dollars plus 5 dollars shipping for the total unit with the foot pedal, adapter and case. All that was lacking was an owners manual. With no owners manual the unit is not really usable and I was in the dark for a while. I probably would not have purchased it at the regular price of 100 dollars which was down from the previous 140 dollar figure.

Digital effects are digital effects. I have a zoom 505-2 that sounds nice like the v-amp 2. It just takes more tweaking to get a good tone. Blindfolded I probably could not tell much of a difference between the two. The v-amp 2 is very impressive with all the accesories that it comes with. The zoom pedals may come with an adapter and thats about it as far as accesories go. A good understanding of the manual is need to make sense of everything. I have a crate V58 5 watt tube amp that does not sound that great. I hook up my V-amp 2 to the crate amp and it transforms it into a nice sounding amp that I enjoy.

hummm......well it's plastic, it looks like it's better suited for home use and in the studio

Amazing that the Behringer techs actually hang out in Yahoogroups answering dumb questions on their own free time. That's dedication.

That 80 dollar price at zzounds was to good to pass up. I had owned a couple Behringer amps that I was happy with also. I can make this unit go crazy, just run piezo pickups through it. My Behringer GMX110 also goes crazy with piezo equipped guitars. Overall it's much more impressive than any other modeling device under 100 dollars which is why I bought it. I'm not into mixing computers and music which is what many owners of the v-amp 2 seem to be into. I just think the unit is ultra-cool and better by far than any other amp modeler in it's current price range.

It's fairly easy to use. One problem I have, like it seems with a lot of these amp modeling setups (e.g. Line 6 Spider which is my main amp) is the adjusment of effects. The tap button is used to affect one parameter of each effect but it takes some time to figure out what exactly it is i.e., if you're tweaking the speed or depth of the flanger. Accessing different amps is a piece of cake. Getting to the cab models is maybe one step too many but gets easy after a while.

I think it sounds phenomenal. I'm not an amp snob, nor have I played throught 50 different amps (I've used a Fender Deluxe 85, Line 6 Spider 212, a Bogner the model of which I can't remember, an old Vox, the obligatory Marshall stack and a couple others). But I know when something sounds good and these sound great. The cleans are clean and the heavies are heavy. The heaviest settings have enough bite/chunk to do Pantera/Slayer type stuff but have a touch of tube warmth that fills out the sound nicely. The full spectrum of sounds is certainly available. The ability to run the amps through 15 different cab types is outstanding. Again, I'm not a pro on cab sounds but it's nice to get different type ambience through the same amp setting. The effects are very high quality. Again, you don't have a TON of wiggle room on how they sound but enough to tweak them to your liking. The reverbs are a strong, strong aspect of this little thing. The Ultra setting lets you get crazy for that spacey canyon echo sound while the other settings give you a wide range of ambient feels. The auto wah is also nice. I don't have the foot controller but a nice hidden feature is that you can emulate a variety of different wah types. It's not that straightforward how to get to a specific type, though, but messing around with it is half the fun. The factory presets are a nice touch, too.

I have no plans of ever using this for a gig. I play mostly through headphones these days so as not to wake my kids so for that purpose it's fine. I've seen written that it's plastic, therefore flimsy. It's actually hard PVC and seems sturdy (though I've yet to drop it!) I wouldn't gig with it, though. But for a little home thing it's phenomenal.

I've never dealt with them so I have no opinion.

For my purposes, I'd give it a 8.5, maybe 9. It sounds great, isn't extremely difficult to use and gives me everything I need at my fingertips. I play a lot of metal, hard rock and older rock and it's got everything I need. I can get Pantera heavy, tripped out spacey and everything in between. For guys who just want a little cheap unit to mess around with and make some nice guitar sounds I'd highly advise it. Especially when you consider the price.

I have this effect now for 6 months and it is great, price and quality are different as usually...with this product the quality is great and price is low. Using is easy, that also means that there is less options than many other effects in little higher price than this. Manuals are made that anyone can understand it and working with patches and setups are very easy.

Sound quality is good or even great in amp modeling. couple things are not so good,clean and some lead sounds are hard to edit. I want sometimes harder lead sound than this can give me...more distortion / overdrive is wanted,compsound is great with this at my setups.

I use Jackson DK2 guitar with it and original duncan designed pickups and it sounds great. I have also tryed it with some harley benton and maison strato copys and it can give nice sound of those too...so this works for anyone.

havent need any support so far!!

I started play guitar 14 years ago and now i'm 26 years old. I Play metal music and actually i compose melodic/powermetal at my home and this product works great for me. I had before BOSS GT-3 effect prosessor and it was 3 times expensive than this and this is better for me so this cant be bad at all ;)

Setup is easy,some sounds are hard to get out of it but it doesn't bother me much. Volume and Master volume pots could be better with some other pots because i record in line and it is very important that volume is always same in output of "Vamp" and these pots moves so fast and easy that it sucks.

ON and OFF switch is must in all elecrtrical products and it is missed with this one.

OVERAL RATING: GREAT DEVICE FOR NOVISE OR EVEN PRO PLAYER!!!

I don't particularly care for things with lots of knobs, but if you take the time to read the manual, it's pretty straight-forward and easy to use. It's got so many features, I haven't had time (or the need) to try them all yet. The manual is good, brief and to the point.

Really amazing in this aspect. Like the last guy I'm getting to be an old geezer and like simplicity and basic guitar into a good tube amp. I don't use many of the effects very often, but they seem good to my ears. The Marshall, Fender and Vox amp simulations are just amazing to me. This thing somehow picks up all the nuances in style that I can throw at it. I use this for late-night practicing and it's real easy to completely lose track of time. One thing I will recommend if you use it as a headphone practice amp like I do; get some GOOD headphones. It makes a world of difference. This isn't a criticism of the V-AMP 2 at all. In fact, when you hear the sounds through good 'phones, it just reinforces how good it is (just like a good amp with a good speaker or speakers). I bought some Grado SR80 headphones and fell in love with this thing all over again. It's definitely made me a better player just by making me want to play all the time.

Been great so far (2 months) but it has an easy life with me. If I'm gigging I'm playing drums, so, no worries.

I've only done the online registration, so far. Very quick response to that. From what I've seen and read, it should be good.

Like almost everyone else says, incredible value. GREAT sounds, easy enough to operate. If lost or stolen, I'd definitely get another. I have no idea how they can sell them so cheap, I'm just happy they do. Also, like everyone else, put an ON/OFF switch on it and it's perfect.

I found the unit fairly easy to use. I did read the manual and it did help wuite a bit.

I mainly use my V-amp 2 as a late night headphone practice tool. It sounds good for the money. I am not real fond of how the cleaner and vintage models' volume drops some. I wish it was more consistent. But again it is a great practice tool for the money.

I has done fine for what i have asked of it. Again it is only a late night, company is over practice tool, and that is what i bought it for.

If you want a nice practice tool, or something to take on a trip with you, then this is great. I have not done recording with it, so i am not sure how it would sound on tape. From a price standpoint, it is a great deal over the POD series and i would consider buying the bass V-amp 2 also.

This little box got me playing guitar again. I went out to buy a little valve combo and came home with this. I am blown away. It comes loaded with pre-sets, (125 IIRC), many of them very silly, but good for recording applications perhaps. I have since learned to edit these using a PC. I now have the sounds reorganised into patterns that I can easily use from the foot switch. I even down loaded some settings from the web that I have been able to make sound just like my old pair of Marshall SuperLeads 100w (no poofy master volume) used to sound like turned up to 11. Except without the 3 days of ear ringing.

I have one bank of sounds set up for a Les Paul, and another for Strat. What I find amazing about this thing is the way it can simulate a valve amp just feathering into clip- (Jimmy Page, The Rain Song) that sound of a valve amp being driven hard, but with guitar tuned down so that your touch drives the amp into that glorious sound. I dunno how the setting work, I am not interesed in palying with chorus delays, flangers- although the sounds I use, and have modified, all make use of these effects. Just amazing stuff. I can get a pretty good sound out of a bad amp, and really good sounds out of a good amp like a Marshall or a Boogie. I will get myself a little Marshall of Laney combo when I get round to it, but the point is, I can turn up and with a guitar and this thing and just go to it.

If i was playing like I played years ago, Id get the rack mounted version. I hate the dinky design, but heh, If this thing f...s up, I'll buy another one, and restore my settings from the computer. Its built to a price, the smarts are inside, and so far, it fine. Needs an on/off swith tho.

I believe it is very good. No direct experience.

I am troglodyte, I admit it, I dislike concepts like "simulation" enormously. I like good old guitars and valve amps. But- this is the best coupla hundred bucks I have ever spent. Its great in the bedroom (arent we all), but the V-AMP cuts it live running into big iron amps too. I love the built in footswitcbable tuner, I love the fact that there is no break in my line through multiple boxes and pedals, i love the simplicity it offers (once you have it organised in a way that you can use it). It makes great great sounds and I get to shut up and play my guitar while everyone else is fiddling with the paraphanalia of guitars. I wish I had had this thing when I was playing music for a living- but now, playing for beers and grins, its just the cats meow.

Fitness for purpose Mr Behringer, this little box is a winner and has brought me much, much pleasure.

It is not very easy to use without reading the manual (I mean, it is not intuitive at all). The highest flexibility of this unit is in the modeler section. Effects are good, but not as flexible as many other units (Digitech, Zoom, etc.).

For $100 you will be extremely impressed. I have many other guitar effects (Boss, Zoom, Digitech and several Behringer), but this unit has excellent distortions and its capability to simulate amplifiers is really outstanding. The other effects provide enough seasoning to make this unit good enough to be used alone.The sound quality can be described as excellent.

I do not know. The box is made out of plastic and it does not seem quite strong. The pedals (which are the ones that you step on) are enclosed in a bullet proof metal case. I think again, Behringer are very smart guys and put the costs were they are needed.

I needed support from Behringer in the past for other of my products and they were diligent and provided good support.

Excellent piece of equipment. You can use it alone and still get excellent sound out of it. For the price and overall features I can say that you will never get anything similar to it in this price range. I think it is the best value for your money.

This is a nice recording tool for every guitarist who can't afford to put his tube amplifier on 11. It's pretty easy to get some decent sounds out of it. A bit harder are things like speaker simulating, live-set-up, noise gate etc, but thanks to a well-written manual this will take you 10 minutes tops. Editing is really easy. Just twist the knobs. It has quite a few banks, and there are 5 different sounds available per bank: A, B, C, D, and E. These are footswitchable. Unfortunately there's a delay of about half an second if you switch to a differnt modeled amp. But since I only will be using this for recording (and live just the effects) won't this be a problem to me.

I use a PRS Santana SE (mahogany, 2 humbuckers). For solo's, I use the rectifier mode. Sounds quite good. I think it's one of the best sounds. For other stuff I mostly use a Tweed or a Marshall. Still the rectifier is my favorite. I use it for recording, so no amp is used.

The factory presets are quite convincing. The manual refers to famous artists/songs. You will regognize which song the sound belongs to. It's not perfect, but it's good enough for me!

Looks reasonable dependable. I think I would use this without backup, since it's not a very important part of my live-setup. The footswitch is really good quality. Dropped it from a metre and a half, there a scratch on the floor but the footswitch looks just as new. Great!

I never dealt with them. I guess it wouldn't be a very big problem because I live in the Netherlands, which is next to Germany.

I play rock, hardrock and pop (Bon Jovi, Def Leppard and stuff on the radio). I can get a nice sound for every musical style. I bought this with a Korg PXR-4, for recording, because I didn't like the Korg sounds very much. This V-amp is a really great deal. Just wish that the switching betweens amps would be possible without any delays. That would make it pretty much perfect.

When I bought this unit, it had obviously been demoed somewhat by somebody in the shop because the settings were all over the place and the presets didn't sound like anything remometely sensible. A quick scan through the manual revealed the 'restore factory presets' option, and I was then cooking on gas. I can't understand why anyone would say this unit is hard to use - it has a few knobs, a few buttons, and all dual functions are clearly labeled on the unit. The LEDs are bright and clear, and compared to other units I have owned suffering from dual function buttons, this thing is a breeze to use. Half an hour with the manual and everything made sense. I give it a nine purely because the manual could be easier to read (perhaps a 'quick start' section would be handy), but I'm used to reading Microsoft programming reference manuals in my day job so I'm not complaining. Editing is easy too - select an amp, select a cabinet, do some EQ-ing and press one button to save your patch. I can't really see how it could be any easier.

I play an Ibanez RG570. My musical style varies with the weather - everything from acid jazz, funk / disco through to hard rock / instrumental metal when the urge takes me. I expect a lot from my amps - especially in the funk arena. I like a clean tone that really spanks and cuts through the mix. When I go distorted I've always been a Marshall man, but Marshalls truly suck for clean funk tones. This little box is ideal for getting the best of both worlds. I had a very cool clean sound dialed in within about 5 minutes, just a little bit of compression and some minimal eq-ing gave me a sound that I would be happy to gig with and record. A little bit of crunch with the wah pedal sounded awesome for those Shaft riffs. The amp simulators are first class - I'm used to the Roland COSM technology which is pretty junk compared to the quality of this. Cranking up the Brit Hi Gain amp and dialling in a suitable cabinet gave a first-class distorted lead sound, and before I could help myself I was playing Megadeth's Holy Wars. Whoa! This thing really kicks ass. The amps simulations are all very impressive - purists will say that they don't sound exactly like the amps they are simulating (of course they don't - they're simulations), but I really don't care. They are first class sound wise and I don't think anybody in the audience at a gig is going to care whether you're going through a Mesa Boogie or a simulated alternative - if it sounds great (and it does), then it won't matter. What I really love is that you're no longer at the mercy of a sound engineer who a) may not be that good to start with b) may not know how to mic up an amp correctly c) doesn't have time to do the guitar because he's spent 45 minutes trying to make the kick drum sound like a wooden spoon banging off a plastic tub (no joke, I've been there). I've only had it a couple of days but already it has inspired me into actually sitting down and playing for hours on end just for the joy of playing, something I haven't done for years. In summary - great clean tones, great distorted tones, super-easy to use. Other people will be better able to comment on the old vintage tones as that isn't really my bag, but I'm pretty sure there's something for everyone in this box. And for such a low price, I'm truly stunned.

If I were to gig it, I would probably build a little protective case for it, as it does seem a little on the light side to stand up to stage abuse. More likely, I would buy the pro rack version. The gig bag it comes with is very good, however, and I would be happy to use it as is for rehearsals, jams etc. It's not a stomp box but as with all gear, look after it and it will be fine. Haven't had it long enough to make an informed judgement but I'm not worried.

Never had to. My Behringer desk has never failed me so I've never been in touch with them.

This thing is a great all rounder, and provided you read the manual and spend an hour getting to know it, you'll get some great sounds out of it. I believe that anybody who says the sound of this is poor must either have it in the wrong configuration (e.g cab simulation on, going straight into another amp), have dodgy equipment and / or dodgy ears, or just generally like complaining. Considering the price tag, it really is a no-brainer. I love it.

This thing is a piece of cake to use but let me be fair; Im not trying to develop and long list of presets. I have maybe 8 that I use for recording and sessions. I may do a little tweaking here and there as needed. If you can't do it with that, you can't do it at all as far as I'm concerned.

Currently I use a customer strat with EMG's, a Valley Arts Start (EMG's) and an Ibanez artist with stock pups. My ear has been accustomed to my Marshall Plexi, a Boogie Mark III and Roland JC120 so I think I have a good reference point. Good pups make a huge difference with this unit as they do with any amp.
I don't use this for live work; I only use it for direct recording/sessions since hauling gear is not what I do; I'm a guitar player and get paid for the music that comes out. With that being said, this thing sounds great to me if you know how to work your GUITAR and get the tone out of there first. If you're some young pup looking for a personality in your playing, develop one; don't buy one. I can get the close to the sounds I get live and have fooled musician friends with this thing .(Did you build an isolated room? Oh, its direct?) I do use this in stereo to get the wet and dry sound recorded and usually use the dry sound with the outboard digital effects. ( Sonar,Protools, etc) to get my effects I want. I use the V-Amp effects just for the pure feel/vibe.

Studio stuff only; no problemo so far. Sits on a stand for easy access while sitting and playing.

Haven't had to deal with them.

I play instrumental ( Beck, Carlton, Miles) write tunes and do live/studio sideman work. This thing is great but you need to know how to wrestle that tone out of your axe first. That's why some people don't like the Boogie MK III, YOU have to develop your tone; there's no preset for it. I'd buy the rack version of this just to make it easier to transport to sessions in the future.
Learn to play your instrument and don't expect the gear to give you talent or tone. If you can play well, you can play well through anything.

A litte more involved than an amp but easier than most rack processors.

32 Amp models (one's a simulated tube preamp for mic's)
15 Cabinet models and though it seems confusing to store patches at first, VERY easy to operate.

The sound quality is Superb DEPENDING on how you use it. It's wicked plugged straight into the computer or straight into an amp. In my effects loop is isn't great but not bad.

When using it with an amp STAY AWAY FROM YOUR EFFECTS LOOP!!! An effects loop is AFTER your amps preamp. To get a warm rich sound from digital you need to get plenty of clean analog gain. Run it straight in. Guitar -> V Amp -> Guitar Amplifier
One guy says it sounds bad compared to his tube amp and I bet ANYTHING he's using it on an effects loop. Otherwise it's tones would put his amps ONE tone to shame. CLEAN ANALOG GAIN IS CRUCIAL TO SUCH UNITS.

The sound gate is excellent, effects are very warm and fluid like, amp models are quite accurate and the cabinet models top it all off to make it a versatile and priceless tool for home, stage or studio. Distortions are awesome and the cleans are warm and bright. Like a lower gain blues setting? Say maybe an SRV tone?
This does it DEAD ON.

Get a $50 tube pre and you'll see tube amps are going to become even less popular. My only complaint is the lack of highs when you use the cabinet simulators. Some clean analog gain,like a tube pre, cures this.

So far BOTH V Amps I've owned have proven to be quite reliable.
....time will tell.

Haven't dealt with them other than requesting info. From my experiences and what I've read, they are very reliable and respond quite promptly

Overall it's one hell of a buy. You can use it with a power amp and a cabinet as another rig or run it straight into a PA. It's incredible for PC recording and will perform even better straight into the board in a studio.
EVERY guitarist should own one. The carrying case and footswitch are basically a bonus. The unit alone is well worth thew $99 I paid.

The ONE thing I wish it had was a circuit to give it some analog gain. They could do it with a tube but even just an op amp or transistor based circuit would do it. I run it through a power amp which I crank the bass and treble on since it's analog. ISSUE SOLVED.

If it were stolen I'd most definitely replace it even though I already own the V Amp Pro. This thing is MUCH more practical. I built a stand for it like the angled back amp stands and my V Amp rack mount looks like it may start collecting dust!

Buy one. It's that simple. If you don't then have fun with the headaches of mic'ing your amps. This is for the MODERN MUSICIAN who is about getting music recorded rather than jerking off to their overpriced $1000 amp.

easy as any amp

I have been using this unit for more than one year now, and I've come to the conclusion that the sounds that it makes are realative. If I spend time playing thru one of my real tube amps, this unit sounds bad. If I only play thru the Behringer for weeks, it sounds great. The reality is; most consumers of music won't know or care if it sounds good or not. BUT, with that said, I think that alot of the distortion sounds are fine for rythm playing. It sucks hard for lead work. AND the clean sounds blow for everything. (unless you want the highly processed clean sound from 80's metal bands.) I play a custom strat with emg's, a 1973 LP custom and a 1979 the Paul.

It's plastic and looks dumb, but should be Ok unless you break it.

Don't know. Lots of web based "stuff".

I've been playing for 20 years.
I play just about any style that sounds interesting, but am mostly interested in composing. Currently not in a band. (or I am in two bands, depending on the situation.)
I still plan on working with this thing to see if I can get it to sound as good as my real amps. Note that I don't want it to sound like my real amps. Just to sound good and feel (respond) like an amp should. I have had some degree of improvement in lead tone and feel by running a TS9 into it, but it was still pretty fuzzy in a bad kind of way.
I will still be mic'ing my real amps when I'm doing "real" recording.
(I play Marshall and Sovtek tube amps.)
I sometimes like running pedals into the front of the amps when set both clean and dirty, sometimes just plug straight in with no FX at all. tubes just sound so good.

It's not too hard to use; it would have been much easier if Behringer had dedicated a knob to every single thing this machine can do, instead of making us hold down buttons while we twist knobs, which makes it impossible to play and tweak simultaneously without 3 arms :(

The biggest complaint here is that certain settings/combinations can only be accessed via software, and if you set up a computer-only feature, you can't un-set it when away from your computer!

I play genuine metal, everything from Tristania to Decapitated. I've been using this V-Amp 2 for over a year now, and I feel qualified to judge its ability to play real metal.

I use it in four different setups and I have a completely unique set of patches for each of the four situations to achieve essentially the same sound. The bottom line is: you can get this thing to sound absolutely freakin' brutal, yet warm and crystal clear. I don't try to sound like any particular band, but I think my sound compares favorably to Decapitated's sound on "Nihility" or Dimmu Borgir's sound on "Puritanical...."

It's not ideally suited for use with a high quality guitar amp, as amp modelling is clearly its strength, but it'll make a cheap amp sound great. A friend who heard mine bought a V-Amp Pro for the clean channel on his older Mesa Dual Rec; he uses it for all softer stuff, but he often uses the heavier amp models when he's messing around and I think he's considering using its versatility to add new heavy sounds to his Mesa sound. I play it through my Crate MX65R with amp and cab modelling ON, and everyone who hears it just marvels at the huge, clear crunch.

I'm not qualified to judge the delay, chorus, etc., as I admit that I've never owned any stand-alone effects or any other multi-fx unit, but I sure can't imagine a sound that I can't produce with it. And it just went down in price, so it costs just about the same as any ONE delay or chorus or flanger pedal. As everyone says, the auto-wah is weak, bordering on silly, but I use the V-Amp 2 with the Behringer midi foot pedal, and the ACTUAL wah isn't all that terrible if you use it in conjunction with one of the expression pedals. It ain't great, but it's not too horrible...I use it during my rare solos.

The battery can come loose (which means you lose all your presets,) and if you visit the Yahoo users group forum, you'll see A LOT of people have had that problem. When you replace the battery, you can tweak the battery clip a bit to make sure it doesn't come loose again. Mine hasn't come loose since I tweaked the clip several months ago. Other than that, I haven't had any problem with it, but I'd take a backup to gig (I've never gigged) simply because it's plastic and just doesn't feel very robust.

So far, I have had exactly 3 experiences with Behringer US customer support.

1. I called once when my V-Amp 2 seemed to have died on me. The support guy told me the battery had come loose and he told me to tweak the clip. Problem solved easily and quickly.

2. I called for a ROM upgrade. The call took approximately 30 seconds, including wait time and reading my address over the phone, and I had the chip in 2 days!

3. I called for a ROM upgrade to the FCB midi foot pedal. It was another 30-second phone call, and I again had the chip in 2 days.

The support guys sure don't chit-chat with you, but they get you exactly what you want, FAST.

For metal, including brutal death metal, this sucker sounds really, really good to my ears. I'm completely satisfied. I've played bass and sang lead in metal bands since the mid 80s and I don't remember any single guitar player I've worked with who had a better sound than I have now.

If it were stolen, I'd get a V-Amp Pro or a V-Ampire to replace it. I'm actually planning on getting a V-Ampire anyway, so I don't have to keep moving this one around.

Obviously, price played a major factor in my decision to buy this over a Pod or any other modeller, but I've heard way more Pod users prefer the Behringer sound than V-Amp 2 users who prefer the Line6 sound. In fact, there's a Pod users website that is totally dedicated to praising the Pod, and if you check out the "Competitors" section of the site, the guy actually states that, while scoping out the competition, he came to realize that the Behringer machine sounded better, so he has switched to the V-Amp 2. And now I notice that the site is gone. Maybe he has a V-Amp 2 users site now.

I'd have to say that I wish Behringer would go ahead and make a more expensive machine with a bigger face and dedicated knobs for every single feature and with every single feature and combination available right on the face of the thing (including POWER ON/OFF.) Also, I'd ditch the silly shape and put it in a simple rectangular shell. Plastic is fine for the desktop model, but invest in better battery clips and a better power jack.

If you are editing patches directly on the unit it is easy to do the basics be more complicated for all the features. The labels are fairly clear. Not all the settings are displayed on the unit directly. Using the software is much easier. The manual is limited. The manual suggests to find a preset that is close to what you are looking for and then tweak it to get the sound you like. I found it easier to make a clean sounding setting with no effects and tweak from there.

The footswitch is nice to have but I would have rather had one that inidcated what setting I was on. I play with the unit behind me because I afraid it will get broken if it is on the floor on stage so I cannot tell what setting I am on without turning around. They make a midi control that can be used but it is overkill for what I need.

Once I played with this thing enough, I could any sound I was looking for - clean or heavy. It can sound great.

For recording, DI, or with headphones it really sounds good. Running it into a guitar amp can sound really bad if you have enabled the cabinet simulator. I found running this into a powered speaker sounds much better. It is designed for full frequency response so it needs something designed to play full frequencies.

The clean channels can be quite good but you have to level the sound between the clean and gain channels via the volume setting. If you use it with the presets the gain channels are 2x as loud as the clean channels.

The effects sound decent. They are not as flexible as a seperate effects but the units strength is in the amp modeling. The delay can sound a little too digital for my taste.

I have been gigging with it. Like others have mentioned, it is plastic and does not look too tough. I wish I had gotten the v-amp pro for durability. I have not had any problems but I treat it with kid gloves and make sure it is sitting out of harms way. I would not gig without a backup unless I had the pro.

Be sure to change the internal battery every year or it could go dead.

Never had to deal with them.

If it was stolen, I would replace it. For the price it is hard to beat. The fun factor is high because of its versatility. It is not a real amp but it is very close. It does miss some of the nuances of real amps in some cases but then again it cost ~$100. By the way, I still get tons of complements on my tone with this unit.

Personally, I love not having to lug a big heavy amp to a gig. The carrying case is great. Throw that over my shoulder, bring my guitar, and maybe a powered monitor if I do not want to use the house monitors and I am ready to go.

To be fair the v amp2 is designed for home recording and head phones. If you want to gig, the v-amp pro is the way to go. The sound for the money is great. If you want to get into amp modeler, this is the place to start.

I have been playing for over 15 years. Mostly playing rock, blues, and jazz.

It could be easier to use. You have to make clear what you're changing, because the same knob is used for a few different parameters, but you get used to it quickly. The solution for all these should be a better display (only a 2 digit number can be displayed, while you can see the number, name and value of the preset or parameters on computer screen through midi) where more information about the parameter you're changing could be displayed. Parameters are really easy to change through midi conection, and software makes it really easy to use as you can see everything at once, this is the best way to deal with this machine when programming. The answer is inminent to every change way midi. If you're used to any other effects unit this should'nt be a problem for you to deal with.

I use it plugged into computer for recording, usually with my yamaha pacifica 821, or my ibanez satriani js100 (usually the first one). I own the v-ampire amp, not the v-amp 2 itseft, so it has a few different posibilities. Much better for recording this one than the v-amp 2 alone. It has 2 (left and right) balanced outputs that really are the direct box (ultra-g gi100) with simulation of cabinet that I've always used in my live performances. And you can change the mode so it has the emulation on-off. So you have another simulation apart from the ones included as cabinets, that is the one I actually use even for recording. There are some other modes which change the kind of signal emited through this connectors with effects, effects only through amp and output clean, etc. Added to this you can turn it to one of the 2 live modes and have another 3 band eq to make the sound fit for live performance. You also have the volume of the amp independent of the output signal on the back connectors (for making feedback while recording for example this is great). The sounds are quite good, I think. I don't know if they really sound like the real amps, and I don't really care. If you like the sound it doesn't matter, and it sounds good for the price. The clean sounds are very good, the reverb is ok and the chorus and delay which are the only effects I use, maybe compressor too. I plugged my boss gt6 to midi in to use it as a pedal controller and I don't like the wah wah at all. I play metal and I think it sounds good, but I recorded with a POD from a friend which I think sounds better but too much expensive. Compared to this one the v-amp sound is darker, I mean the high frequency response isn't too good. But as I'm having it only for a few days I can't say I won't get the sound I want, actually I'm really near to getting it yet.

No problems at all with it at the moment only a few days with it aren't enough to say anything abuot it, but it is slow at changing presets. As every digital effects unit it has a time of silent while changing, larger than the korg ax1000g, and of course than the boss gt6, which are the other effects units I own, and the ones I can compare this one with. The gt6 is the best by far in parameter and flexibility, but much more difficult to use and much more expensive, simulations aren't too good for recording if you don't expend lots of time programming.But you really can't compare these two ones. I may take my v-ampire to a live performance if I don't have much space to carry things, otherwise I'll take my gt6, direct box and my marshall. V-amp may be better for recording.

Nothing to say. No deal with them.

I play metal (heavy-thrash). I only have used it for recording a solo actually and practise at home and it succeded. I have to try it more time and get deeper, but I'm optimist about it.
Compared to my boss gt6 this is just a toy, but as it's much easier to use and needs few wiring it fits better for recording I think. Compared to my korg ax1000g, it has lots of possibilities due to the connectors (midi, send, return, balanced line out with cabinet simulation, unbalanced line out,...), but korg sounds good too (although you have to take pen and paper to take note of presets as you can't connect it midi). V-amp is the worst for live performance because of the silent interval between presets change, which is the longest of the three, and because the footswith doesn't add an expression pedal. What I like the most is the connection capabilities. Some people complain about the shape of the v-amp but the POD has a similar shape too. It is make of plastic but think that this get the price down (I dont have these problems with the v-ampire actually but I tried a v-amp from a friend too before buying mine). I don't like the sound being to dark (but I'll have to use it more before I can really complain). I bought it for recording. I wanted to have something plugged to my computer all the time with a good sound and the less atmount of wires messing around, and this one was the best choice (quality/price is the best relation). I tried one before buying from a friend, and a POD too. I'd prefer the pod if the price were the same. I wish it came with an expression pedal. I really like the way you can program it using midi and computer. If you're looking for something cheap to record this is your choise, for live performance there're some other better choices. Look for an expression pedal, and take care of the silent time between preset change when looking for live performance, appart form the sound itself, of course.

Purty durn e-zy if yer asken me. I've had it for a while, but have yet to actually program it other than adjusting the ore-sets as I'm playing. I have a half dozen or so fav's and seem o stick to them. If I ever have the time, it would be nice to spend an afternoon delving into the programing.

Well now....I bought this little gem as one of those dreaded "impulse buy's". I figured I was too much of a tube snob to be bothered with fake sounding V-amps, pods, j-stations and the sort. A friend had just given me a brand new digital recorder he never used, so I decided I might want something to give me a multi-tude of tones without scaring the neighbors. I must say, I am very impressed with the tone and ease of use of the V-Amp. For the money...forget about it! It's a no brainer. If I had paid $500 for it, I might have some bitches about the tone, layout, blah-blah-blah...but for the pittance Behringer charges ( ain't reverse engineering a bitch! ) I have nothing but praise. I don't use all the mega death distortion patches ( even though they are a blast with headphones or run through a little home practice system )as I'm an old fart that plays the blues, but many of the clean / semi clean patches are great. I'm surprised at how well they respond to the guitars volume control. The main thing I use the V-Amp for is to practice into headphones. I can plug my cd player in the the aux and jam along with BB, Freddie, Albert, Merle, Gary Moore, Delbert McClinton, Pink Floyd...whatever mood I'm in. The beauty is I can pretty much nail the tones I'm playing along with. I've played guitar for over 30 years and have an assortment of homebrews, fenders, gibsons and el cheapos. They retain quite a bit of their sonic character run through the V-amp. I've used it live in a small, coffe house type duo setting, but have not had the balls to try it with a band. For what it is....an inexpensive tone tool...it works well. I was never one to actually sit down and practice the guitar, but since the V-amp has come into my life, I find myself longing to don the headphones and play along with a CD. For that alone, I'm happy to have it. I consider it cheap inspiration! The 10 rating I'm giving this takes into account the incredible value the V-Amp represents.

Well....as others have pointed out...it's plastic. I don't mind though. I would buy one made of cardboard if it would shave some $$ of the price! I'm easy on my gear. I have several guitars, amps and effects that I bought new 25 years ago that still look and work like new. I've had some problems with it loosing it's factory pre-sets, but it only takes a moment to re-load them.....so, I don't worry about it.

My overall rating for this would have to be good. Even though I'm pretty much a guitar, chord, amp player, having 3,000 tones at my fingertips inspires me. I love getting super clean, haunting tones and the V-Amp makes it easy. Nailing tones from Carlton, Ford, Clapton, Gilmore and the three Kings is pretty easy with the V-Amp. Again, for what it is, it has far exceeded my expectations. The fact that I paid less for this than I did for practice amp back in 1986 amazes me. It has made me want to play more and the more I play, the more I learn. Cheap inspiration!

I'm a fool who didn't read the manual for some time... and even without that I was getting some pretty good sounds out of it - now the sounds have just got better - you can work it without the manual, the front panel is nice and clear, but some of the features are pretty well hidden :-)

I found the manual a bit hard to follow, especially since it covers the v-ampire and the v-amp pro as well.

I've had no problems with the sound quality - we're a (heavy) trip-hop band, and both me and the other guitarist both use the V-Amp 2 - running it directly into the desk, so straight out, and into the monitors. Also, we use a LOT of different sounds (about three different patches per song) and the V-Amp allows us to really cover a lot of ground sound wise.

The effects could probably be better, but for the price they're astounding.

We use the units in the studio (lovely) and we use them live as well.

We've had to use them at gigs without backup. I was a little concerned to hear about the internal battery problem, and will make sure I check that out soon. We try to be careful with them, cause they certainly don't look that tough.

One thing that we discovered just as we were about to kick off at the biggest gig we'd played was this: if the power supply isn't plugged in properly, the lights can still all come on but the input/output just doesn't work. This is not a good thing to happen!

Not had to deal with them, so no opinion.

For the kind of music we do, the V-Amp is a wonderful piece of equipment - it allows us to make a whole range of sounds with a very small footprint, and it's a whole lot lighter than carrying amps about. It makes home studio recording a whole lot easier as well.

You can hear tunes using it at http://www.uberdog.co.uk, if you want an idea of the kind of sounds we're making with it.

Oh, one real complaint is the general look of the thing - whoever designed that body shell should honestly be stabbed in the neck, but I'm thinking of upgrading to the V-Amp Pro to deal with that by having all the features of the V-Amp 2 in a nice solid rackmount.

Seriously, this is a great bit of kit, and unbeatable at the price - I can imagine it wouldn't suit everyone in a live environment, but for a home studio setup it's absolutely magic.