Behringer GMX210 V-Tone

I've had a few combos before but this one really has a lot going for it in this department. It has some pretty good modeling abilities with some digital effects thrown in for good measure. Having the ability to switch between two different efffects with the footswitch that comes with the amp is very nice for those who don't want the added complication of dealing with a midi controller (which I highly recommend getting) however be prepaired for a delay when you do this. The delay pretty much kills the amps ability to be used as a live tool, but of course getting a proper MIDI controller negates this for the most part as you can switch channels and effects independantly. It has an insert patch and various ways to input and output signals which could be useful if you are doing more than just using it as a practice amp. Overall its a good honest 7. It would be higher if the delay when switching channels was absent.

I use a Fender Fat Strat with the SSH configuration. I personally find the distortion delightful with a caveat. To get really metal sounding distortion you have to crank the gain which makes for a noisy amp (it humms and buzzes a bit, perhaps as much as you usually get with a tube overdrive). The noise could be due to its location in my living room close to the entertainment center so who really knows. Anyway you can REALLY dial in some great sounds. Working with the EQ and switches you can get just about any type of sounds you like. For example setting the mid and high knobs to 6 and the bass to 7, click the first switch to british, the second to hot, and the third to UK and crank the gain to 8 or 10 and it really gets a fantastic thrashing metal sound! On top of that you can add compression and other effects to really tailor the sound. Now we all LOVE effects I'm sure but the big contraversy seems to be whether this sounds like a tube amp or not. My vote is pretty damned close! Or maybe it sounds like some tubes and not like others. I have a nice tube works pedal (real tube 901) I used for comparison and the amps distortion is very close. It doesn't seem to have that edgy harsh solid state sound I remember from all those solid state pedals that were so poplular (Rat, turbo etc). You really can get a nice fat sound from it, especially with the right effect in place (the guitar combo). The tube pedal seems to deliver more of a singing quality perhaps, but I must say I'll betcha it would be very difficult for most people to tell its solid state driving the amp. When playing clean it really is nice and clean, but you won't get as much volume from it this way which may not matter; it really would depend on your situation.

On the downside the effects aren't programmable in the sense that you have a set of effects and you can combine them in anyway you choose. No, this amp has a set number of combintions such as Flanger+reverb, flanger+delay, flanger, chorus+revebs, chorus+delay, phaser, compression etc. You cant decide to mix the phaser with the compression. Its one or the other. Now its not as bad as it sounds. You can program the parameters of these effects and if you purchased a good MIDI controller with expression pedals (I got the Behringer FCB1010) you can use the pedals to change the parameters and save them, or change them in real time. Most of the effects it does have are logical and you probably won't REALLY need more than they offered but it would have been nice. It has a wah effect as well so if you set the MIDI controller to #15 it should replace the analog pedal. I haven't actually tried it yet so stay tuned. Overall I give it an 8. It has some very versatile abilities to model sounds from your favorite guitarist, some decent effects if you find that you need them and the amp is indeed pretty loud. Plenty loud enough to use at home to learn a song perhaps (playing with a CD), it might have some trouble keeping up with a live drummer + overzealous bass player if you use anything other than the high gain distortion type sounds from it. For live use (on stage or practice) I would probably go with the GMX212, for anything else this amp has plenty of juice.

Can't say yet. It has worked just fine so far...the entire few days I've had it ;o)

Since nothing has gone wrong with it I have no way to judge.

For the price its really SUPER! Built in effects, good tones, good versatility. Kind of eliminates the need for dragging a bunch of pedals around with you or buying them for that matter, especially if you go the extra mile and get the foot controller. Make sure you be aware of the plastic knobs, i've heard they are fairly easy to break. When you carry the thing try to keep the back of it to your body. So I guess I endorse the amp. You'll get a lot for you buck, and its good enough to play and enjoy the sound of it.

Two identical channels with a level balance between the two. Each channel has 3 amp modes (tweed, british & calif), 3 gain modes (clean, hi-gain & hot), 3 cabinet modes (flat, uk, us), bass, mid, treble and fx in/out. Digital effects with 99 presets. Serial and parallel fx loops. Head phone and tape out. Detachable power cord.

I use a Les Paul custom on this amp. It has a very general tube pre-amp distortion. Tweed amp mode in hi-gain or hot mode sounds like a clean amp that was not designed to have distortion but an overdriven amp of the 1950's. The tweed amp in clean mode is very clean with good headroom. The british amp mode sounds very much like a well designed tube amp and represents a good sound when used in the high-gain mode. The calif amp mode adds much more bottom end and I suppose is to represent the more modern US sounds vs the british gain sounds of the last 30 years. Either amp mode sounds good. Despite the previous descriptions of the tone controls, they get you where you need to be - just like Marshall which does not allow you to stray very far from their sound, this amp has similiar tone controls but with more cut/boost. This type of tone control allows you to shape the sound but not neccessarily make a sound that is useless (like so many other solid-state amps). There is a preset in the fx section that has over the top gain like many of the metal distortion pedals. The reverb in the effects is very good and clean. Good bottom end for a 210. The volume control range is not like other amps where by the time you get to 5 out of 10 its very loud. The range on this amp starts to show at 1.5 and keeps getting louder all the way to 10. It does not appear to have any power amp distortion which is very good for a solid state amp.

Built well. Not sure about how well it will hold up. The speaker magnets are very small as compared to others.

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I like this amp. It will not produce the hair band sounds of the 1980s but it will provide you with a good tube amp sound. It is an incredible value, however I do think I will do a speaker swap. They cut corners on this amp, ie the cabinet corners are not real chrome and the screws in them look like they are painted silver, this is asthetic but when compared to the nice tolex and black face plate which looks really good, the psuedo chrome lets you down. I wish it has the level control for both channels and the presence control like the GMX212. The output power is fine but the remote speaker outputs would have been nice.

Purchased amp in Aug 2004. Will be mostly used in Church. This amp does not have all the bells and whistles that some of the expensive amps have, but it seems to have all the features most guitarist will need.

Although this amp is not in the same league as Mesa or Fender, this amp is a great value. The sound is nice, although the tone controls don't seem to have as much range as some amps I have used before. This amp reminds me of some of the Peavey amps I used to own. Seems to have plenty of power for a mid-sized amp.

I saw the box when it arrived at the music store from the factory. It had obviously been kicked and beat around by the shipping company. I only mention this to say that it survived being beat around and it worked perfectly the first time it was switched on.
So I would say it is very ruggedly built.

Never had to use the customer support.

Although I have not owned this amp very long, it seems to be very well built. The sound is very good for the price.

2 channels with footswitch, 3 channel independent EQ on both, 24-bit effects processor

I play rock, blues, metal, and a use the clean channel a lot. I use an LTD DV8-R and that guitar really brings a lot to the table with this amp. The only problems I have with this amp are the lack of bass response and the speakers have a rattle. For the price it's a great practice amp

Haven't had a problem other than the rattle

I've been playing 8 years and have owned a Peavey, a Randall and a Fender before this amp and I like it better than the Randall, but not as much as the others, but it was also cheaper than both. All in all a great first or second amp for beginners

2003(december)model. I bought this amp because I was getting tired of my usual - and quite unusal - setup. My band plays '60 and '70 pop. until now I have plugged my guitar into a Boss GT3 pedalboard and straight into our mixer. From the mixer I use one of the sends to an old HH 100w amp to drive my monitor. Kind of backwards - but it works.
I do have an other amp. A Peavey Classic 30 (a fantastic amp!)But I'm not too happy about shifting it around too much - The band has a lot of gigs these days.
So I was looking for a cheap, clean sounding SS amp. Based on the reviews I found on the internet, I ordered a gmx210.
It seemed to have the features I was looking for: A good clean sound, 2 channels and lots of in/outs and a footswitch. At first I was going to order the gmx212 (2X50W) as I thought that the power might be needed. But after using my 30W Peavey at a gig (volume set at 2? out of 12! and miked to the mixer) I settled for the 210.
The amp was shipped to my door. No problems. The amp is shipped in two boxes - fine protection.
The first adjustment I made was Tweed/Clean/Flat and I cranked the volume up to 5 (of 10) - Strummed my strat with stock pickups and wondered if the amp was on or not!
The Tweed/Clean combination is not just very low. Its EXREMLY LOW!
Granted. Its very clean and sounds very good, but outside a bedroom or a studio its not really usable.
After tweaking around I managed to get a good clean sound with Tweed/Hi gain and the drive at minimum. But it gets distorted at high volumes.
I then continued to try the more distorted sounds. This is where this amp really shines - Holy Moses! Just using the gain control gives You total control of the distortion. From crunched to wild distortion - No problem.
Then I started using my Bluesbreaker II (Marshall) pedal. And shortly after I was playing Gary Moore's "Still Got The Blues" and "Parisienne Walkways".
No doubt. This is a VERY good amp. Just not for my use - I need some more clean, high volume sounds.
Still a VERY GOOD AMP!
I phoned the dealer (EMK PROF MUSIC - great guys, no problems) And I swapped the amp for a Behringer gmx 212.
The gmx 212 really matches my needs.
I've just received the gmx 212. This is an OUSTANDING amp! I love it. -Read my review elsewhere..

This amp is great for the pennies saved. I love all of the features except the fact that there is no external loudspeaker outputs, like its little and bigger brothers (1x10 and 1x12). But no worries this does have tape in/out which allows you to hook it up to a CD player, or any other PA equipment, and you get that studio sound without ever being in a studio. Plus, there is a line out function which allows you to run it through another amplifier, which I find very useful for stereo sound. I only rate it an 8 because no external loudspeaker functions.

I use Les Pauls, Washburn Dime333, and I have owned more boutique sounding guitars such as John Suhr, and Tom Anderson guitars. All with humbuckers and I love the chunk and clarity of this amp. If I were to hear this amp without seeing it, I would have believed that it was a tube amp with effects running through an effects loop. It does great with any volume, including headphones, and does not squeal when it is up in the 8-9 volume range. I never truly play it at that volume but you have to test the extent of your equipment to get to know it.

Nothing yet has happened and I will never gig with it. I can't honestly comment.

n/a

I have been playing long enough to know that this is not a snap-crackle and pop amp. It is a great recording amp without the normal recording price. I have worked with guys who come from music backgrounds of more than 40 years and have worked for companies such as Jackson, Mesa/Boogie and even Bogner that have loved this amp. If you want a good amp without spending your life savings then this is the way to go. Without selling out on sound.

First available: 4th quarter of 2003.

Features: True Analog Modeling 2 x 30-Watt Stereo Guitar Amp with 2 Independent Channels, each Featuring 27 Modeled Sounds, FX Processor, Tuner and MIDI Control; two 10" JENSEN? speakers; 3 classic guitar amps, 3 speaker simulation models plus 3 gain modes?all individually selectable per channel; comes with 2-button footswitch that controls channel, tuner mode, and fx on/off.

Connections:
Rear panel: footswitch in, midi in (can hook up an optional midi foot controller or your computer, to control the fx parameters in real-time), 1/4" headphone out, 1/4" stereo slave ins (this is a preamp in - bypasses the amp's preamp, and goes directly to its power amp), stereo RCA tape ins and outs, stereo 1/4" line outs, stereo 1/4" aux in (tip=left, ring=right), aux in level control knob (off-max), mono 1/4" insert send and return, 3-prong standard grounded power connector - I've tried most of the connections, and so far they all work well.

Front panel: single 1/4" mono guitar in, channel selector button, fx/tuner LED display, fx preset knob (99 presets, with ability to edit & store user presets), fx on/off button, fx parameter/mix knob (can only modify one parameter, unless you hook up the amp via the midi connection to modify all the others - each effect has 3 editable parameters in total), power switch.

channel 1: Drive, low, mid, high, level, 3-way amp model switch (Tweed, British, Calif), 3-way gain switch (clean, high gain, hot), 3-way speaker simulator switch (flat, UK, US).
channel 2: same as channel 1, except level knob is replaced by a master knob (controls the main level of the amp whether on channel 1 or 2)
footswitch: button 1 selects channel 1 or 2, hold for 2 seconds=tuner mode; button 2 switches fx on or off.

Comments: this amp is fantastic in terms of connectivity, and versatility. I love that it has a built-in tuner and fx/amp modeling. Gets rid of a few pedals and extra hassle. I hook up my external fx unit (Digitech RP20) and can get any tone I want out of this thing. One thing I wish it had was a stereo insert return, since my RP20 fx has stereo outs (I have to combine the stereo outs into the mono return on the amp - no big deal though, since it still sound fantastic). I can put it into the other amp inputs, such as aux in and tape in, but those bypass the amp's fx, and it would be nice to be able to also use the amp's fx in addition to the external stereo fx in this configuration. The fx loop works perfectly otherwise, and is way better than my Marshall VS100 amp's, which simply won't work with my RP20 without giving ear-piercing feedback. I also wish it allowed you to modify more than one fx parameter, without the need to hook it up to a midi controller.

I will also be doing home recording with this amp, so I'l try mic'ing it as well as using its direct outputs going into the mixer/soundcard. I'll be using this mainly as a bedroom/home-recording amp, and it seems to be perfect for that. As for power, the 2 10" speakers do a nice job, and sound pretty sweet. The clean channel, with amp type tweed is not very powerful though (even when all volume knobs cranked it's still not that loud), but you can get a nice loud clean tone if you keep the tweed amp setting, but move to high-gain and keep the drive knob low. The distortion modes are plenty loud.

I play many different styles from country, blues, jazz, to metal, clean to heaviest distortion. I use Washburn X40 electric with 2 humbuckers/1single pickups, Les Paul custom, electric/acoustic guitar with preamp, Marshall VS100 1X12 100 watt amp, 2X12 speaker cab, Peavey Audition 30 and Boss MG80 practice amps. I wanted a very flexible amp. So far I am extremely impressed with the quality and diversity of sounds this amp can deliver. What a good buy!

By itself, this amp can get almost all the sounds I need, and sounds better than all my other amps. I wish I had bought this one instead. It is very quiet, even at higher volumes, and can deliver nice distortion (as good or better than all my other amps). With the addition of my external RP20 fx in the fx loop, I've been able to get all the sounds I need, plus I can push it hard to get the heaviest distortions. It even has plenty of bass and punch when needed. It emphasizes the mids a little heavily on some of the amp models, and with some EQ/level/pickup tweaking, it sounds mighty fine. Some of the fx presets are good, some not so good. I like some of the reverbs, delays, tremolos, and pitch shifters, but the phasers/flangers/wah sound too artificial, as is. I haven't hooked it up via midi yet, but I'm sure that once you fiddle with some of the 3 parameters per effect, they'll sound good. The default parameter that you can edit for most effects is fx mix, but others include delay time, depth, etc, so you can see how useful it would be to hook it up to midi. Overall the fx are good quality. The tuner works well, and you can even set the default tone to tune to (eg. 440 hz).

It's new, but seems very dependable and durable. Solid construction, thick particleboard with metal corner guards, open back, heavy duty metal footswitch, heavy duty Jensen speakers (speaker cones protected by metal housings). Looks like it'll hold up forever like all my other amps have.

Warranty is 1 year. Haven't yet had to deal with customer support. Informative website.

I've been playing for over 15 years off and on. If this got stolen, I'd get a new one for sure, since it's so much amp for so cheap. I love the price, the extensive connection options, built-in fx, tuner, amp modeling, and the fact that it's a 2-channel, stereo amp with 2X10 speakers. Plenty of power for me, and so many sounds available. Best buy I've made in a long time. I've researched extensively, and there's not another amp that can really touch this one feature-wise at this price. Was thinking about getting the 2X12 model for the extra power, but I find the bigger speakers can be a little too boomy and muddy for my liking.
I thought I might be a little disappointed with this amp, quality and sound-wise, since the price was so low, but I am very surprised at how nice this amp is, and so far I'm 100% happy with it. I doubt I'll be using any of my other amps anymore.