Behringer LX1200H V-Ampire Head

I'm not going to get into describing it here. its way to much to describe and If you dont know what this is yet, then you should'nt be reading this anyway. You can download the whole manual for that matter. I will say that its a lot easier to use then the POD. The digital lighten up dials are very usefull.

This is the reason I'm writing the review. At first I loved the way the tone broke up much like a tube amp. It didnt have that digital fake tone like the line 6 or the digitech. The Vamp reacts to string picking rather then giving you instant hard tone like the Line 6 and all other modelers. The V-amp isnt fatiquing to the ear and I enjoyed it for that reason.
(NOTE: Unless your recording, keep it on L2 mode for live play) Anyway I thought I found the holy grail of modeling amps but, as I played it more, I came to discover it's digital tube like emulation had its faults. For one thing the high gain modeling tone break up didnt sharpen at the end like a real high gain tube amp such as Peavey 5150 or Mesa rectifier. It just floated therefore it sounded sloppy although somewhat passable. I couldnt become satisfied with the sound no matter what I did with the programming. I tried using the built in noise gate but all that did was lessen the feedback and background hiss. It doesnt have the decay feature to shorten the notes. SO I had a boss NS-2 lying around and figured i'd link it up to the vamp and viola!!!! I got the tone I wanted where the high gain modeling tone sharpened up at the end. The oddity to this is that t I had to configure the noise gate in reverse compared to the way I would with an amp. The Threshold has to be set at around 10 and the decay has to be set at zero. Wierd huh? its usually the other way around but, then again, you cant expect a modeling amp to react like a regular amp or analog pedal since its based on computer algorithms. At the end, I managed to create a cheap killer rig. I've owned mesa's, peavey 5150's, Marshall's and although they sounded great, it was overkill for just practice. I wanted a more compact practical solution and was reluctant to revert back to modeling amps. I tried the Pod xt (horrible, harsh digital tone) Johnson J-station (warmer tone then the POD but, still has a flat digital sound and is exausting to the ear like the POD). I eventually came across the VAMP on sale for a rediculous 60 dollars price. Set it to L2 mode and it sounded great at the stre. As I mentioned before, it sounded great for a day until I noticed the tone flaw but, the Boss Noisegate NS-2 solved all that. I recommend you all try that as the built in V-AMP Noisegate just doesnt cut it. Without the noise gate I rate the VAMP to 7 but with an external noise gate it gets a 9. I'll give it an 8 as a compromise.

Its plastic but looks sturdy

Behringer is notorious for not having telephone customoer support and they usually take a while to get back to you over e-mail.

I've been playing for 10 years. I mainly play all sorts of metal from Metallica to all the new stuff out today (Lamb of GOD, As I lay dying, Killswitch engage etc.).. As I mentioned use an NS-2 with this pedal to really achieve a great sound. Although I found that a noisegate works well in conjunciton with this pedal, I think an EQ pedal would also enhance the V-AMP's tone. The beauty of the VAMP is that it sounds like an actuall amp therefore it would react great to a pedal chain.

I got this head in 2005 or 2006, I've forgeton exactly. It's a single-channel digital modeling head - really, it's a Behringer V-Amp with a solid-state power amp stage packaged in a (very nice looking) black tolex covered head. This is by far the most versatile amplifier I've ever owned or played with. It simulates 32 amps and the simulations are all pretty darn accurate. One thing I don't like is that if you are running a lot of reverb or other of the built-in effects, the volume just totally goes away. I mean to the point you can have a conversation while standing right in front of the cabinet. So the secret is, keep all that glitzy stuff turned down to low levels, use the drive and gain functions, and make sure you are in the right mode (L2 works best IMO for live playing) and it will be loud enough. This amp is NOT easy to use, especially if you're coming from a tube amp with its dirt-simple controls. There are so many modes and features and settings on this that you need to plan on spending a lot of time with this figuring out how to dial it in. If you don't do this, you probably won't be happy with it. But if you take your time and really master the controls, you will be amazed.

Most of the amps this is simulating are tube amps, and believe it or not, the amp really does sound like tubes. It doesn't quite match that huge, round, room-filling sound of a bank of EL34's but the tone is darn close. Solid state amps generally sound lousy because transistor distortion emphasizes the wrong harmonics.... but since this is a digital modeler, the distortion is synthisized and not a product of transistor clipping. The result is, this actualy does sound like a Plexi or a Mesa Boogie or a Fender twin or an AC-30 or...... nothing short of fantastic versatility and sound quality. The only thing I would add is, I wish Behringer had modeled a Hiwatt and an Orange as two of the amps. Oh well, can't have everything I guess.

No problems with mine. I've had to replace tubes on my other amps, but this has no tubes. I hear that the Behringer pots and knobs are fragile.... all mine are still ok. But the knobs/pots could probably be more rugged.

No need to deal with them, as I haven't had any trouble.

If I could only have one amp (I currently have 5), this would be the one. This might be heresy but I would rather give up both my 6L6 AND EL34 tube amps than this guy. Yes, those tubes are so loud they can make you sterile! But this one delivers so many different tones, nothing can compete. Besides, if you really need to fill a big room or outdoor venue, you will be micing the cab and going through the PA anyway. Generally a $200 solid state amp will sound pretty dismal... I wouldn't recommend the ones I've tried to even a kid just learning. But this head does absolutely everything from surf tones to blues to rock to metal, has a load of built in effects and just plain sounds great. All for cheap-cheap-cheap. I got a Behringer BG412V cabinet to play this through and that thing is really good, too. Again, a fraction of the price you would expect for that sound quality.

Got this amp about a year ago. It is very versitile. You can get any sound you want. I play stuff ranging from jazz to metal and anything in between.

I use a battery of guitars from a Jackson V, to an Ibanez S series, a Les Paul, A hot rodded Strat, and a B.C Rich NJ series. All guitars have been modified with diffrent pickups. I was using this srickly on the computer but when my Carvin V3 went down I started using it with a 2x12 cab wich is why im writing this review. Do to the size and weight and sound I won't be using my V3 anymore. I love the sound of this amp!

Never had a problem.

Never used them

I have to give this a rating of 10. It got me out of a couple of ordeals. It was there when I needed it wich is more to say then my expensive tube amp!

Got this new in december 2007....one channel...but that was the reason i considered it in the 1st place.....play christian rock...i'm a rescued van halen fanatic....this amp works great for that...yeah it has great features....like a new toy....2 bad i don't use any of them other than goof'n of at the rehearsal hall....it gigs very well....not like i punish it though...it travels in a road case....yeah i know...$200 head in a road case...i'll explain further below....(sheesh)....word 2 the wise...invest in a power amp...or buy 2 of these and an A/B box...hey it's a bargain....you can afford 2....that's the reason for the 9....100watts a side stereo & it would get a 19 out of 10....u listen'n tech support?

deal is....my 1 channel 50watt plexi went belly 2 the sun....only one way 2 run that baby....take u'r arm & run it across the dials...heat the tubes up & it's ready 2 go....turn the volume on the guitar down for the clean tone...anyway....gigged it hard...2 hard....but don't cry....it's been repaired & works great....but i needed something to get me through until it got back from the doctor's office.....didn't wanna spend $6000 on 1 like i already had....didn't forsee me spending $1500 on a 1987 reissue, seeing as i got a real 1 & the reissue is....& always will be, a reissue....ran across this that had a plexi sim. gave it a try....very cool....except for the volume.....my plexi is on here....had 2 back off the disortion gain a tad...1st time i've ever done that....otherwise it's pretty much the same...even fits the road case well(see...that's why the case)

BTW...i front end every thing....use mxr( phaser, flange, chorus) dunlop(wah, volume), & boss pedals(overdrive, delay) on my pedal board....never used an effects loop...not gonna start...front end....this head responds very well to all the effects....reverb is the only feature i actually use from the head itself...

i use hot-rodded strats...2-71's, 2-74's, all 4 rodded with dimarzio 57's at the bridge...i was clipp'n this thing at the start, but my brother(the smart 1) read the manual(which i never do) and programmed it to back off the input gain...no more clip'n

the only other amp that was a contender was a peavey windsor....cool amp....it tried hard....it just didn't keep my attention long...not sure why...

i'm retire'n my plexi...well, not completely retire'n it....it will do studio work from now on....that's it....kinda wanna hand it off 2 my son....didn't think i was gonna get 2 after it had it's fit....decided that at this price & my tone still intact i could afford at least 4 of these a year if needed.....my plexi won't get any more damage...at least until my son gets it...this head gets a 9 because i had 2 pull out an ada tube power amp that i got in trade to run my other cab....

plastic knobs....yeah...it's safe in a road case...if i didn't already have the case...it would probably suffer on the bus...

wouldn't know...at this price i'll chunk it & get another...

used it since december 2007....it's been cranked wide open through this day of march 2007...it's gigged hard...didn't plan on stay'n with ti at 1st...kind of a band-aid until my plexi got well...decided i would stay with it since if it got destroyed it wouldn't break my heart....if it died...i would probably get another...at this price it's no problem replace'n it....it gets a 9 because of the volume issue....but a 10 in tone...

The usual: solid state, 2*60 watts, 32 amp sims, 15 speaker cab sims, 16 multi effects, 125 memory locations, dual footswitch, etc.

Bought it on eBay so I have no clue when it was made.

It is very versatile and provides a huge range of sounds. I play a little of everything from strumming country and folk to Type O Negative metal. It has sound through out that range which is great.

It is just the single channel but with all those presets it gives you tons of options. I like the headphone jack for night time playing. I can not really think of anything that I wish it had. The stereo effects are awesome.

Huge Note: I use this am for playing at home. I have read about how it is very low volume for it rated wattage, yes this seems to be true BUT for playing at home this is absolutely not a problem. I can see how it would be an issue playing out, though.

This amp can make tons of different sounds. Some of the presets are very usefull while others are good once you start tweaking. This is a very good jack of all trades. No, it doesn't sound exactly like a 1978 Whosiwatchit that costs $4000 and weighs as much as a large farm animal. For a price of $199 new I don't expect perfection but I am very happy with what I got.

The different distortions give you sounds ranging from barely breaking up to massive metal distortion. It has some nice clean tones, also. Try out the presets and then start lowering the effects from them and they get a little more usable.

I um using multiple types of guitars with it such as a Washburn WI64DL(HH), Ibanez SZ520QM(HH), OLP Luke(Active SSH), Ibanez RS140(SSH), Johnson Strat(SSS). Unlike some modelers I have tried I can actually tell a difference between guitars and pickups.

I am running it through a stereo Create GT212S cabinet.

The stereo effects sound great. The effects are pretty usefull throughout. The auto wah is so-so but aren't they all.

I am rating it based on cost and what you get for it.

Have only had it for about a month and it is still working. I don't feel I can rate it yet.

I have been playing for about 5 years. My guitars are mentioned above. My other amps are a Fender Cyber-Deluxe, B-52 LG100A head, Fender Princeton Chorus, Peavey Transtube 212 EFX and a Kustom 12A.

I love its versatility when I don't feel like switching to a different amp for different sounds or playing with effects boxes.

I haven't compared it side by side to my Fender Cyber Deluxe yet. The V-ampire has the leg up on it since it is stereo. But the Fender is good because it is a combo and doesn't take up much room in my living room. So, to me it wouldn't be is one better than the other since they are both good. They each serve a specific purpose for me.

Again, the volume is fine for playing at home. You can make dishes rattle and cats run very easily.

I've posted a review before. This is an update and a warning.

I was at band practice last week playing my typical blues rock best when I started really going crazy with the effects. I noticed the V-ampire was getting unusually warm, so I shut it off and took a break for lunch. When I came back an hour later, I switched on my amp.

A loud, thunderous boom erupted from my head, and then a terrible droning static noise. I looked over to see and smell withe smoke pouring out of the back of the amp like the crest of an ocean wave.

Anyway, I switched to my nearby fender combo, finished the practice, and took my head home. Strangely, everything works fine on it via the headphone jack, but the back output panel is completely fried (i.e. it won't send a signal to my cab).

By the way, I had it running into the proper cab with the proper wattage, and the master volume was only turned up half way. The overload signal was not on, and it was in a cold basement where it had plenty of room to breath.

The company so far (I'm still dealing with them) has not responded to my emails which were sent nearly a week ago, nor has the nearest behringer authorized repair center. I've had this amp for a year and a half, and unfortunately the warranty is only good for the first year.

Bottom line: Play the hell out of this thing for the first year while you can get it replaced. After that, you'd better be walking on eggshells with this amp. It's an amazing amp, and I am truly remorseful that it has left me.

It was only $200, and I got an amazing year out of it playing all kinds of shows and recording, but don't be surprised if it explodes on you.

Bought brand new in April 2007. I have now had it set up for 24 hours. When I decided to buy it I thought I was buying a fun toy that good produce some cool sound and crank a bit of volume. I also Expected it to perform marvelously as a studio amp with all the ins, outs, sound versatility, Midi, etc. Well... it's a lot more than a toy. The various amp sims really are amazing. Id love to blindfold a brand snob and challenge him to guess what he's hearing. The effects are killer once you start tweeking instead of trying out the mostly lame presets. It's awesome fun switching between a clean, mellow folk-blues sound, a bluesy, dirty distorded ZZ-Top kinda sound or a hard, thick, compressed Tony-Iommi crunch. With this amp you'll ever only need one guitar. Putting together your own combinations of amp sims, cabsims and fx is a piece of cake once you get to understand the logic. You can also download a boatload of other user's presets from Behringer's site.

It's just a single channel, but with the 125 available presets, it's like having a 125-channel amp! Except, there is a fraction of a seconds silence when switching. Ins and outs include phones, fx loop, pre fx, post fx, dry, wet, XLR, speaker, Midi, footswitch and probably a couple I forgot.

Asking for any more for the money is almost embarrasing but if I could pay for a couple more features it would be; a jack for an expression pedal, another footswitch for "channelsurfing" thru the fx like on a multifx pedal and a drum-machine like in Digitechs pedals. If it had those, I'd only need one guitar and the v-amp. Nothing on the floor, in the rack.....

I have no idea if this thing has enough power, especially with some of the crunchy sounds. If I get anywhere near cranking it I'm afraid the roofs gonna' blow off.

Can you say bling? This thing lights up like a pinbal game and has all kinds of informative features and diodes on every dial and button. Of course there's a tuner as well.

What can I say. It took me about ten minutes to get the regular sound from my other head. To tweek my favorite sounds took me maybe another 10 minutes per sound. Once I had stored some 7 or so favourites, the V-amp can replace my older and waaaay more expensive head. I really think you can get any sound under the sun with this thing. BTW, if you can't find it by fiddling with the dials and buttons on the front, you can download a sound-editor from Behringer which makes it a breeze to exploit every last bit of potential that this amp has. The various clean sounds are mostly really clean and the couple of times I pushed it, a little clip light warns you before you get there and a notch on the guitar volume fixed it right away. Distorsion is mega! As much as you could want, with as much reverb, chorus, sustain, screaming tube sounds as you could want. My old head has a "more distorsion" button but it's nothing compared to when you pour on the various ways to distort on the vamp. Some of the effects are a bit on the noisy side, but they're the ones that are noisy on any digital effects device.

24 hours and still going strong... :)

I have actually dealt with them in reagards to a mixer. They were extremely helpful and there was nothing wrong with the mixer. Just the user. :)

Been playing off and on for some 30 years as well as roadied, road tech, studio tech, etc. I would replace it in a heartbeat if I lost it. In fact, I think I'll buy another one as backup. Heck, for the price, I';ll get one for work and one for my buddy's cottage as well. I compared it to a bunch of other heads and to be honest I bought it purely on features for the buck. I'm so glad I did. I'd take this over any $2K head I've tried.

This thing is a God among the insects of the modeling world. The footswitch isn't as versatile as I would like, though. I recommend MIDI control.

As other reviewers have already pointed out, there is a learning curve to this head. It'll take about a week to get the hang of it, but you'll find yourself tinkering with the effects and amp models for years. I've had my head for a year and a half, and I still keep getting better sounds than I thought were possible outta this thing. The Rectified head is amazing.

Behringer quality knobs..what can I say? It was only $200. You'll want to be careful with this one.

If you want versatility, this is the amp for you. Line 6 wishes it was this good. And the price is unbelievably low.

well this has everything you could want. 32 different amp models and 16 different effects. also has a noise gate.120 watts very loud, with the right cab.

this thing is amazing for the price. the cleans are goodand stay fairly clean. the effects are pretty good as well, but the best part is the distortion. My favorite modles are the savage beast, which is like a nice marshall type sound, the modern distortion, which can do alot of differnet things, and the rectified head, which is like a mesa rectifer. very good reverb as well.

seems to be good

havent talked to them

great amp if you are on a budget or if you just want versitility

All the bells and whistles you'll ever need.You have to read the manual or you'll never utalize all the great features of this head.

I play strats.1 w/Texas Specials,1 w/SD Texas hots and a stock Tele.I play blues,clasic rock,some metal.Most of the tube amps sound dead on and for recreating you favorate artist,This head nails em all and I havn't even scrached the serface yet.Sounds I go for range from SRV(of course),Angus Young(even with single coils),Clapton.I've only had it for three days and have got these sounds almost dead on.I read on here somene say this wasnt for metal,,BS!The clean tones are awsome as well.The thing is,it aint no out of the box amp.You realy gota get in and tweek it.It's plenty loud.I'm running mono thru a 2x12 cab and this is my favorate piece of gear I ever bought and at a fraction of the bread I've spent over the years.And the effects,,Sound beter than ones I've spent more money on than I did this hole head.

I have to give it a 5 caus I've only had it for three day.It seems sterdy.The knobs and butons feel like thay will last.I wouldnt through it down the stairs tho.

I've bean playing for 15 years and owned a Marshall JCM800,Crate BlueVoodo,a VM 5watt tube amp,Kalamazoo,FenderM-80Head,and a couple hand wired low watt tube amps.Thay were all great amps.But this thing is like having all of them and more tone sculpting.I would replace this thing in a heart beat if some slimeball stole it.For the price,you got nothing to lose.