Behringer GX212 Ultratwin 212 Combo

I have a new 2003 model, purchased from ZZounds (great service, they didn't charge me for s/h either!). There's two channels, clean and overdrive, powering these massive 12" Jensen speakers which simply rock. You know the other features, digital effects, etc. etc. It does include a METAL footswitch, which has one switch to toggle channels, and another switch to toggle effects. You will definitely want to get Behringer's midi footcontroller to control this mighty beast.

For the first day I had it I took it to band practice. We tend to do a lot of different styles. Currently our list that we practice includes covers on Purple Haze, Seven Nation Army, Dazed and Confused, A Hard Day's Night, Pencil Thin Mustache, some Bob Marley, Rage Against the Machine, and more. A truly wide range of sounds and styles, and this amp can handle it all with the right tweaking. It also has a LOT of power, I never turned the master volume pass 3, and it provided more than enough juice for our casual practice session.

I use two different guitars with this amp. The primary guitar I use is an American Tele, which is just so amazing with this amp it's like heaven. For the ballsier stuff I tend to use my Schecter 006 Deluxe, which I honestly like almost as much as the Tele.

The amp does tend to get a LITTLE noisy on certain settings, but in general it is a very clean and crisp sound. And like I stated in the earlier section, I play a wide variety of styles and this amp can easily handle it all and still give me goosebumps.

The Behringer product specs say you can get "mild distortion" or something, but honestly my GX212 was really rocking it out hard. I was simply impressed how easily I achieved an amazing Seattle'ish grunge sound that had depth and dimension to it. Truly amazing. And like true tube amps, this baby just rocks harder and harder the louder you turn it up, and I still haven't really played it pass a master volume of 3!

Well I've had it for less than a day, but I used it for many hours. It seems very sturdy and reliable, and heavy! Which is a plus for an amp this size. I knocked it into a wall a couple of times, and it went on a couple of car trips, but it's still in pristine condition. The only downer was that certain sections of the metal strip below the knobs (that have printed text on them, like "MASTER VOLUME" and "HIGHS" etc. etc.) had sections where the adhesive wore off, so they were warping up a little, since that's how it came. I managed to press most of it back down, but there is one section that will need some glue. But I still can't give a rating, since only time can tell (I'll post a follow up in a while).

Never dealt with customer support. ZZounds gives a 30-day money-back gurantee on all products they sell. Not sure how Behringer handles their warranties.

This is just a fantastic amp. If you're on a budget, and you want the best, then this amp is perfect for you. The DSP is good, better than what I expected for an amp at this price. They do not sound as good as a single unit (like a pedal) dedicated to a certain sound, but I am definitely happy with the quality. In addition to its great sound and wide versatility - it just looks so damn sexy! When you gaze at this amp in person you can't help but shed a tear. Woo!

Ok This amp is a 2003 model two channels and 99 preset sounds.headphone jack, effect loop(not crazy about this), aux in stereo out, cd in. I wish it had a boost button or even just a switch for the mid boost. I played this amp at a gig last night and the only problem was The effects loop was too quiet. I had a marshall Guv'nor for lead boost and even with the unit flat out it was actually quieter than the channels.It has plenty of power I had it at 6 last night and it was perfect.

I use a gibson Les Paul Studio with seymour diuncan Jazz and Custom and a eppiphone SG gothic. I play in a covers band and this amp is ideal to be able to have a variety of sounds available.I found that standing close to the amp with my friends Strat there was a hum which got less as you walked away. No problem on stage though. The clean is pretty good and the distortion is as well. Now they arnt in the same league as a Valve amp but a valve amp cant do all this can either. Good choice if you need more than 3 sound.

OK the other guitarist in the band has one as well. and he had a problem where the amp dropped power and volume to nothing. Heres the good part, the dealer just sent him another one, even tough it was a 20 cent part. They just didnt fuck about. I'd like a back up but cant afford one , I have a Korg AX1500G which I can plug into a desk if I needed to though. I dont like the Plastic Pot stems, they feel cheap and flimsy. But I look after my gear these days so they should be ok. I detest the manual. its fairly useless. so is the manual for the fcb1010 I bought to go with it.

Seems ok 12 month warranty. serve is just an Hour away. as I said, the other guitarist had no pronblem, just sent him a new one.

I've been playing about 15 years, I have owned fender and marshall valve amps and Boss and korg effects. The main reason I bought this amp was price it was a third of the price of a Line 6 or Johnson. as well as a marshall. its just great bang for buck. I just wish it ahad a boost switch for leads .

Made in 2002
I play r&b, funk, hip hop, blues & jazz. The amp covers it all.
I wish it had a numerical key pad. Going from presets 1&2(my favorites) to 97+(combos and stacks) is a pain. I don't use the chorus or phaser effects(to wierd for me).
I use the amp at home for practice and recording in the project studio. The amp has plenty of power for my needs.

I play an Epiphone LP Standard with humbuckers.
The amp is very quiet on all settings I have used.
The amp can cover any sound used for R&B, funk, blues, rock(not metal), jazz and pop. There is much variety with this amp.
I haven't cranked it past 8 one the clean channel(6 on the master). There was no distortion at those levels or below.
On the dirty channel, the distortion is not that heavy. You can get some good rock sounds, just can't get into the metal range.

I haven't left the house with it, but it appears to be sturdy.
The knobs are a bit loose. Not a problem now, but if they get looser with age, I'll be upset.
I've only had it for a short time, but so far so good.

N/A

I've been playing for only 2 years. I've only owned one other amp, but tested many when buying both.
If the amp were stolen, I would recoup from rental insurance and buy another one.
I love the versatility. The clean channel delivers any sound I want after massaging the controls a bit. The power/volume is great for the money. There's nothing I hate about it, though I wish the wah effects were a bit better, but they're good. Closer to hate is getting from lower presets to hight presets.
I compared this to the Line 6, Marshall ??50 & a Peavy. The Behringer fit my needs the best and was the cheapest. If I were more into heavier rock, I would have went with the Line 6, maybe. The reverb on both clean and distorted channels were better than all I tested.
A numerical keypad & foot switchable effects would have been nice.

By now you all know the features. Mine has the Jensen speakers. I have heard they are using different speakers now, so be wary and use your ears.

Sounds--First let me say.
Why are nu-metal and metal guys buying a combo?
You need something drastically different than any combo's gonna offer,don't you?

For the rest of the guitar playing amalgam: Run don't walk to buy this amp!!!!

The clean sound is like a warm blanket, especially when combined with a stereo chorus! Strat,Les Paul,Charvel, acoustic-I have even played a5-string bass at a reasonable volume and it just keeps delivering.

Distortion-Ah there's the rub.
It has great distortion-just is not so great right out of the box.
Remember, there are a ton of effects, a morphing knob,EQ, a mid boost,
gain/overdive as well as some amp models hidden way in the back.
If you take the time to learn the amp it will do everything you need except reproduce horrendous distortion for sub-tones in alternate tuninings.

Effects- realize the amp is not designed to play itself.The factory settings are merely a pallette from which you are to create. I have never found multi-effect unit that gave me every useable sound out the box. They are there to give you a general idea of it's capabilities. Tweak away and you'll be very pleased.

Don't abuse it.

Never needed them.

I have been a professional musician for about 26 years. Done it just about all,tour, house gig, bars,weddings, resorts.etc..
I bought this amp for my son who is learning to play guitar.
I was the one who learned something. You can buy quality and performance for a little price if you try hard enough. I am getting sounds out if this thing like you wouldn't believe. Brian May, Boston,
Eric Johnson, Satriani, They are all in here. True, an external pedal to help gain it up or add some intense distortion, but my kid likes Ozzy and AC/DC and the amp more than delivers.

If it were stolen I'd hunt the thieving BA@#$%d down and make him listen to nu-metal--just kidding.

It really has no contemporary--not without buying multiple products, and certainly not in it's price point.

The midi pedal would've been a nice addition,but alas.

I didn't give it 10's across the board, but it certainly could've rated as high. I'm Very particular, especially when it comes to sound.

I noticed some of you trashing it because it came to you broken.If you knew how many hands touch a particular item before it gets to your door, you may not be so hard. Also buying on ebay broken is hardly an objective opinion.

Remember-- you have to dig into this thing to make it sing. Spend some time with it. After all, could'nt we all use the practice.

Made in the year 2000. You should know the features already...
I fell in love with this amp in under an hour...I was gonna buy a Marshall JCM800, but then before I made the final purchase, the salesperson offered me to test the Behringer, and I instantly dropped the marshall. I also had tested a number of Valvestate marshalls(I was actually in the shop the whole afternoon),and its no match with this beauty. And I havent run thru the effects yet, Im just talking about the clean channel.
And its so full of features... almost has the same number of features as some Line6 amps...

On my Amp hunt, I brought with me my Gibson LP standard fitted with Duncan Jeff Beck pickup and my Ibanez JS1000, running thru a Korg AX1500G. They are such solid sounding guitars,and the Marshall was suitable choice, Marshalls and Les Pauls are always unbeatable.BUT this amp is much warmer, imagine burning coal ;) with its orange ember..
I play everything from Blues to pop, metal to rock, satch to vai. This amp pretty much covers them all. And has anyone heard of Eric Johnson's violin-like tone? I think I could get as close to it from this amp rather than a marshall.
The highest volume Ive played it was at 8, and the room was almost shaking..however, its not such an irritating sound you'll hear, i cant believe it somehow retains the warm sound, its not sharp and trebly like other amps. Its still not hazardous to your ears even at high volume...

So far so good.

huh? They have customer support? ;)

Ive been playing since I was 12 years old and im now 30(OMG, im old).Im playing semi profesionally, but stopped for 5 years to concentrate on having a decent job :)
I was never satisfied with my tone, I am quite sure of what sound I like, seems to be ringing in my head everytime(im getting nuts?)..but I stopped seeking since I got this amp, well at least momentarily im satisfied.
OH yeah...The price was unbelieveable too...saved a lot compared to getting a Marshall.Just my thought on Marshalls, theyve got so much amp products in the market, they are simply conning us of our money..why not just release a few select amps, the best of the lot, and sell it. This way, musicians are saved from getting crappy sounding ones.
A piece of advice to those looking for amps: Use your own ears!Reviews are subjective..its what you hear counts..know what you want nd take time to look for it, patience my dear.

Okay kiddies
this review is for the metal players
the guys who like leads and a punk rockers
2 12" jensen speakers with 70watt handling
120watt stereo power
99 effects not worth less but don't sound like what theyre supposed to sound like
3 band eq for each channel
morphing
and much more
Amp is made in 2002 in germany
has 2 channels comes with foot switch
i'd give it a 10 except a lot of stuff is worth less or makes it look overly good on paper
the interesting thing is the midi ports
and finally the speaker out for powering a 4x12 cab
or finally slave inputs this amp can used as a cheap alternative two a 2x12 cabinet for a head
with 140watt handling and jensen speakers

I'm Using a Fender 88 Mexican strat with maple neck
this amp does not suit my musical style or any rock with heavy distortion or people who like to soloist
the clean channel is creamy rich
and sounds great with the effects
(but the effects don't do what there supposed to do
ie reverb makes the floor shake but doesn't give reverb sound
Wah gives an interesting sound to clean or distortion when muted
Flange is an effective fuzz box
Phase shift/phaser give a futuristic tone, or vintage vibrito depending on vibe
chorus makes the amp sound like a harp but sounds interesting distorted.) however the amps picks up any scrapes with your finger picks up clacking of pick when the string is individually hit so its terrible for soloing, beef2
is the distortion it doesn't have any tone or
any push higher out put pickups won't help either this guitar amp cannot handle any high out put pickup above jeff beck
invader and duncan distortion would blow out the speaker, the amp also does no gain any volume after turning it up past 6 so not addequate for gigging
with a pedal distortion is better
but again the clacking of the pick hitting the string is amplified when individual strings are hit, and it can't palm mute even with the pedal

its reliable but not durable
but can't handle high out put guitar
nobs are easibly breakable

exception of maybe boss or line 6 music companies are asses to work with and behringer is a german bas company with very few repari stations in american i gave it a 4 because no opinion gives it a 10

i've been playing a whbile now
i would probably not replace it if it was stolen lost
i hate the sound, clean is creamy would work nicely as a cheap acoustiv amp or a vocals amp, wealth of inputs and a nice selection of affects that sound good clean, but sound needs work
could be used as a cheap cabinet for those who can't quite afford a 450$ 4x12 cabinet

Bought brand new in March 2003 from American Musical Supply - if you order this, get it from them, they still are shipping out the amps with the Jensen speakers - now this amp comes with "Shark" speakers, which, from what I hear are not as good in the sound department. This amp is versatile enough for me, I play pretty much blues and some classic rock. I use maybe only 10 of the 99 effects, all 10 either being reverb or delay. Plenty of power, would gig without a backup. It seems like others have had bad experiences with this amp though. I tried out various Fender tube amps, but for the price, this was my amp. Saved me $700 - no, the distortion is not great, but buy a Boss BD-2 or Tubescreamer and you're all set to go.

I play out of it with 2 American Strats (one is a Texas Special) and get a great tone out of this thing. Like I mentioned above, distortion is not terrible, but not great. I definitely recommend getting a separate stomp box for this. 99 presets, most of which are worthless to me as I have no need for flager, phaser, auto-wah, etc. But the reverbs sound great, as well as the delay effects. Noise wise, this thing is pretty quiet, unless I have my strat(s) on the 1, 3, or 5 position but this is common with any amp, that's the fault of the guitar. I had a Crate GX-65 which costs as much as this new and I just had to get rid of it, it sucked as far as tone and effects go.

I think this will be reliable, looks like it's built well and I have not had any problems yet.

Never dealt with the company. Hopefully I won't have to.

I've been playing for 14 years - own 2 American Strats, the effects I put through this are a Boss BD-2, Dallas Arbiter Fuzzface, and a Dunlop Crybaby. If it were stolen I'd probably buy it again, I love this amp. You can't get a better amp in this price range. Hell, you probably could spend $300 more and not get as good of an amp. I compared this to the Fender Twin and it's very similar in tone, just like others have said.

2 channels, 37 effects and 99 presets (half of which are worthless). it has a mid-boost button, which is really just more of an overdrive boost than a mid-boost. it has something called a "morph knob" which i particulary enjoy, and it has a presence control. dual 3-band EQ's for the seperate channels and 3 controls for each effect. overall it has alot of features, but the features are somewhat... retarded... in some cases.

I'm using this amp with a black yamaha strat copy with stock electronics and a blue epiphone les paul which i will soon get rid of in favor of an american made strat. it suits my music style ok i guess, i mean, there's nothing really special about it. it tends to feedback with the yamaha with volumes over 7, but that may just be the guitar. the clean channel is great, it doesn't distort at high volumes, but my beef is with the "overdrive" channel.

the overdrive on this amp sounds rather... bad, to put it nicely. in fact, there is almost no gain at all. yes, i read the description of "mildly distorted sounds" but i was expecting GOOD mild distortion, not the crap this thing churns out. you have to tweak every knob in every which direction possible to get a decent sound of it, and once you finally get a good sound, you start to have problems like i did... which you'll read about next...

I have owned this amp for about a year and 3 months now, and have had problems with it twice. the first time, the input jack just broke, it popped right off. what do you expect, it's made with cheap plastic... the second time, the same thing happened... i had ordered a replacement part from behringer (took long enough... their customer service sucks) and about 3 months later, the same thing happened again. this is not a result of misuse, as i do not trash any pieces of my equipment. these problems were a result of poor manufacturing.

yes, i have dealt with them on 2 seperate occasions, and on both occasions, the customer service was sucky. the first time it broke, i called customer service, and they never called me back like they said they would. i had to e-mail them and waited 2 weeks for a reply from behringer customer service to find out how i could order a replacement part. the 2nd time, i didn't even bother calling, and just went straight to the e-mail, which took a little more than 2 weeks the 2nd time i e-mailed them. there were no service centers, and i had to order the part from a store in california (i live in pennsylvania) that would ship the part to me. good thing i wasn't gigging the first time it broke, or else i'd have been royally screwed. i have it rigged with duct tape now to prevent it from breaking again.

i've been playing guitar for over 2 1/2 years now and know enough about aps to say "don't get this one!" save your money and get something better, don't waste your money on this, it will only leave you disappointed. if it were lost, i would go get the marshall half-stack i'm saving up for and pity the guy who took the piece of junk. i wouldn't wish the problems i've had with this amp on anybody... except maybe good charlotte... hehehe

so yeah overall this isn't a very good amp, don't buy it. save your money, buy something better. liek a marshall.

This is a follow up posting. Bought amp year ago.

The reason for this follow up is;Does not have great tight, hairy distortion. So, I bought a KORG AFX-1500 (or something close) and a BOSS ME-35(?), sorry for not knowing correct m#'s. I wanted to overcome the amps lack of distortion and seperate reverb options. To make a long/short. The quality of this amp was ruined by these devices. The BOSS was better than the KORG but I found that for the type of music I like (eclectic rock, folk, blues)that the amp is better sounding w/o pedals. If the pedals were cheap, I would keep for different distortion choices and reverb (to use with GX212 effects) and compressor options.
The clean sound and 'classic' crunch are fantastic. I'm not crazy about the morphing option (although better to have than not).

Been great!!

I've been playing since '74 and have a good ear for sounds. I love this amp. If you could combine reverb & compressor w/ other sounds.............aaahhhhhhhhhh.
Can't wait till I get a midi pedal.

I did a lot of research and price shopping before I bought this brand new Behringer GX 212 Ultratwin. I found it on eBay for $255.00 plus $30.00 shipping. I was not too familiar with Behringer products, but I do own a Behringer 4/12 cabinet that I drive with a 100 watt Crate solid state head. The speakers sound great, so I decided to take a chance on one of their amps. Big mistake!

What Sound?????

Can I rely on it? NO! Would I use it on a gig without a backup? NO!
Has the amp ever broken down? Yes! Because of neglect? NO! This was a lemon from the factory! Upon unpackaging this amp, I was impressed with it's good looks. I plugged it in and hooked up my guitar, but I couldn't get the effects to work. I was leaving the state for a week the very next day, so I really didn't get a chance to look into it any deeper. When I got back a week later, I tried it again. This time it made a crackling noise and began to hum through the speakers. Then smoke rolled out of the back and I immediately unplugged it. It's cooked, WELL DONE! I contacted the seller who agreed to exchange it. I shipped it back to the seller at my expense and didn't hear anything for a week. I emailed the seller and he replied the next day saying that it would ship out on 4/10. Here it is 4/21/03 and still no amp or communication. I emailed him again tonight to find out when he plans to send a replacement. I'm beginning to worry.

I have not dealt with Behringer's Customer support directly. They are located in Germany and I hear that they are difficult to work with.
My guess is the seller is waiting for Behringer to make good on the amp, and I'm stuck waiting.

I have been playing about 40 years.
I currently own Fender, Crate, Ampeg, Peavey and Kustom amps and have a guitar collection consisting of about 65 guitars, ranging from acoustics, jumbos, dreadnaughts, archtops, acoustic/electrics, electric hollow bodies, electric semi hollow bodies, electric solid bodies, etc. I collect the more traditional guitars such as Strats, Teles,Les Pauls, SG's, 335's 135's. I'm a Rockabilly Cat and have a deep love for the hollow body jazz boxes. I'm not into B.C. Rich, the wilder side of Ibanez, or Gothic style guitars. I don't do pointy headstocks or headless guitars. YUCK! I seemed to wander off the path of the Overall rating. Getting back on track, Anything I wish it had? Yes! I wish I had it and it worked. Anything else I'd like to share? Yes! Steer clear of Behringer. I wish I had. I've had great luck with all the amps mentioned above except Behringer.