Behringer LX1200H V-Ampire Head

There is more good stuff here than should be possible for the price. I would say that this head can hold its own with the line 6 head and many others as well even at their higher price. I can see that many of the perceived negatives in others' reviews is a result of not learning how to get around on this head. It's not difficult at all , but does take some time and tweaking to get learn how to get your sounds. After you know how to do it, it's a piece of cake. I have replaced two pieces of equipment with this head ( a Marshall head and a Crate Vintage Club 50 ) with no regrets.

The complete and total sound pallette is here. More to the point, YOUR sound lives here, too. Go for it !

I have many Behringer products and all hold up very well. I expect this head to be the same. German engineering... what more can I say ?

Never had to. That says alot.

Been playing 35 years. I have too much equipment and over the years have owned more than my share. I have Fender and Peavey and Marshall and Crate and Hiwatt amps at this time. I am thinning the herd and modelling makes that possible. This head and my Roland synth and VG-88 gives me the buttload of possibilities I need in the studio. If this amp were stolen, I would buy another one without hesitation.

Ok I just got this head about 2 weeks ago. I already had the v-amp2 and was quite impressed with the amp models. I was actually gigging with the v-2.through the PA. But I had this fender ultimate chorus which wouldn't quite sing the way I wanted her to. So I thought this head if anything like th v-2 would help it. BINGO. It has all the features of the V-2. 32 amp models, every effect made except a ring modulator,talk box, or octaver. The thing comes with everything you need to play except talent. I don't care if they are not exact, I love the amp models and that is why I bought it. This thing does produce the closest thing I've heard to tube distortion or tube clean that I've heard other than real tubes The amp also has stereo capabilities, many different output choices, no channnel switching but 5 different presets that can be edited takes care of that. Then there is midi input for a drum machine......You should get it by now.

I play mostly strats(7)and (1)tele. (2 strats w/H-S-H configuration,4 w/texas specials and 1 w/handwound pickups special ordered.The way I use the head is as described in the manuel on page8 item 19. I use the analog outputs straight into both inputs on my fender ultimate chorus.This does a variety of things. 1 it cures the loudness problem others talk about(fender is also a 100watt amp) we're running 2 power amps. 2 the chorus on the fender is still active(sweet)3 still able to utilize channel switching on the fender. 4 there is now double EQ shaping ability(both amps EQ active)and I still run tube screamer, and line-6 roto machine in front of the head for better access(no internal programming)plus the sweet chorus available by fender footswitch on the amp. I am quite pleased with this buy. It suits my purposes just fine. I gig with this setup in a biker church service. Most of these guys are also Ex-Navy or Vietnam Vets and the like a little rock or blues put to their gospel songs, so my style of play would basically be SRV-Hendrix type stuff. I am alsovery pleased with the distortions this amp produces.

I've only had it for2 weeks but it seems like it will do fine if you take care of it (keeping in mind it is a computer so I'll try not to bang it around too much). V-amp 2 still works. May be a good sign?

Don't know. I've never had to deal with them. I do know that the Behringer web site is very helpful.

I've been playing for about 14 years. My other amps are a fender ultimate chorus,Roc Pro 1000,Fender Super, Roland 405 mini stack,Marshall Avt20, Westbury 1005m, and a Randall RG50-112 and a multitude of stomp boxes. Guys I am proud to announce that my three and a half year tone search is over. I think I can use this thing. Actually we should all consider tha most of us are actually searching for some one elses tone. A book I read explained how in the studio a lot of guitar layers are laid and the artist themselves can't even duplicate many tones themselves.i.e. all Dumbells don't sound alike. Many of you favorite artist have had mods done that you are not aware of(SRV-amps),(Hendrix-always his pedals). I'm told that Van Halen hooked up so much crap and mistakenly got the "brown sound" and then they couldn't quite remember how they did it. So I say take what you have, think unconventionally(out of the box)and try different configurations and begin to save yourself some money. You may already have good tone and want something else. As for me my therapist says to play 3 Lx1200H guitar models a day to cure my gear lust. It seems to be working. I am finally satisfied with my tone the the accessability of it all for $170.00. Who would've thunk it.
(maybe the pros who use practice amps to record in studios?)

I am submitting a review somewhat prematurely cuz I am very surprized by this amp. We all know the features so I won't take away your time to read them. I am also not writing a great review so I can get more $$$ selling it on eBay. I have no intentions of selling it, I only paid $138 for it brand new with a $20 2 year extended warranty. A Line 6 would cost more than double with not half the features. One thing I am curious about, if any of you know if you can change the wah wah frequency width email me. It sounds great for a digital wah but the bandwidth from low to high is enormous and it would be nice to adjust it. Same goes for the volume pedal. I am using an FCB1010 midi pedal. One BIG reason I purchased this is because it is MIDI controllable. It makes it so much more versitle than the competition. I am running it through a Peavey 5150 412 cab with EVH 1200 speakers stereo. I also have a Jackson 412 with Eminence speakers that sound great too. I bought this cab locally for $60 and it's been my main cab lately after using the 5150 for 6 years. I also use a Marshall with Vintage 30's on occation. I play mostly Metallica through it in my band (Four Horsemen) and so far it's holding its own.

I play mostly Jackson USA King V's, also an NJ neck thru Mockingbird, an ESP KH202 and a Soloist. I've only had this amp a few days and can already hear some amazing tones from an all solid state amp. I'll do a more in depth review after I've used it live. I can tell you that the distortion is great for SS, and it is very easy to dial in a great sound quickly. It also depends on what you are after, and of course not everyone is going to like it. (Athough some people need to get their head out of their asses and just listen). Remember what you paid for this amp and I'm sure you'll be smiling. I play in a Metallica tribute band, while I have ALWAYS used all tube power, I can see this amps potential. When turned up (all the way) the lead tone diminished a bit, but some eq tweaking and amp selection should help with that. The rythem sounds absolutely crushed with the rectifier model, and the clean sounds were excellent with the Black Face and the Calif. clean. The overall volume is plenty for live use. I can't ever imagine not having enough headroom with this amp. Just what was that guy that rated it so poorly running it through? I run either a Peavey Classic 50/50 or a VHT 2902 power amp for my tube rig, that should tell you something about loudness. I like it real, real, loud, and I don't like alot of power tube breakup like you get from a Mesa 20/20, it's too much for Metallica type sounds. My friend uses one for Maiden stuff and likes it, but I found it too be too muddy. This Behringer is definitly loud enough. The reverb does take away loudness however if you turn it past halfway, many processors do this though and I can't see why you would need this much reverb anyway, it has more than enough. It does colorize the tone, but I think in a good way.

As far as other tones from the model selection, only you can judge. I only know what I like and don't like and right now I'm doing Metallica, and it crunches quite well. There are dozens of other great sounds in here and I can't tell you if it sounds just like a Vox AC30, but I'm willing to bet you can get a great Lep Zep sound from it and many others. The noise gate works as well if not better than other amps I've used. A good external gate would be better, but would cost more than this head!!!

Behringer gear is Kmart in quality if you ask me. I've had good luck and bad (mostly good) with their products. I've owned mostly PA gear by them. I have one of their digital crossovers (Ultra Drive Pro) and it's been great, I like it better than the dBX PA ($500 version, I can't afford the better ones and for mostly practice, whatsthe point)I also have an 8024 digital EQ that I had problems with after about a year, but the extended warranty covered that. Which leaves me to say buy the warranty extension if it is offered, It's well worth it for mass produced gear like this when you never know you might get a lemon.

With a company this huge it can be hard to get good help. I had lots of runaround when I wanted to know how the time delay microphone program worked with the Ultra Drive. Their reps are probably as well informed as your Home Depot guy in electrical about plumbing. In other words you have to speak to the right guy about your problem, if that's possible.

Been playing for about 25 years, the last ten with all kinds of rack gear. One head was never enough for me, so I went to rack gear for versatility. I first used an ADA MP-1, the mother of all preamps(MIDI). I used this for about five years then decided to make a change. So I bought an MP-2, I liked that it had a wah effect and compressor built in and if it had reverb, delay and a pitch transposer I'd still be using it, awesome tone. The MP-1 sounded great too, but much different animals. Then I tried a Peavey Transtube, very versital but not tubey enough, so I bought the Tube version (TubeFex), couldn't stand the delay when changing patches, went with a Roctron Piranha, totally different tone but it rocked ass, but it was a one trick pony so I bought a Voodu Valve which I am currently using, with the Transtube Fex for the tuner and excellent pitch transposer. Through a Peavey 50/50 Classic power amp into a 5150 412 cab for my main rig. The Voodu Valve and big brother Prophecy are however a combination of tube and digital sound, and you purists may not like them but I can get close to just about any sound I'd ever want better than any modeling amp on the market, except maybe the Engl but at over $2000 I'd rather buy another guitar. Enough babble, this amp kicks ass! I was all ready to squash it with a bad review, while it will never sound as good as tube, at 1/5 the cost, it can be nothing less than awesome. Sure the effects could be more extensive, but if you need more, buy a G Major. At this price you cannot go wrong, I bought is a backup but may use it for one set and the tube rig for another. SAVE THOSE TUBES, not that I mind changing them, but it would be nice not to have to worry about them for a change. I don't think digital will ever replace them in our lifetime, but they are getting closer and closer. For the guys that don't think this is loud enough, buy yourself a EP2500 power amp and 8 Marshall V 30 412 cabs and play it in your 10' x 12' bedroom and sign language me about loudness while you drown out the airport next door. deaf sob's

Tons of features, all of which have been already listed in other reviews. I really like the fact that it has a built in tuner. I have no trouble tuning my 7 string, as I do with my korg tuner.

When I first played this amp at the music store, I would have given it a 2. The presets really suck. I played around with the controls a little and got some decent sounds out of it, but nothing spectacular. But, I decided to buy it anyway. After messing around with it for several days, I really started to understand what this amp is really capable of. As others have stated, use L2 mode. Read the manual and learn how to use this amp. It is capable of wonderful sounds.
I mainly use this amp with a Washburn WG587 7 string guitar. I also use a Gibson Les Paul, Fender Stratocaster, and a Dean Bel Aire. This amp is absolutely awesome for metal. Very clear and defined on most all settings. I mainly use the Savage Beast amp model. Does it sound like the amp it is modeled after? I don't know. Honestly, I don't really care either. I just know that it sounds great. Very clear and defined. Every note is heared. The distortion is great. I use the Black Twin amp model for most of my clean sounds. Very clean and clear. Sounds alot like an old Fender. I have never owned a Twin, but have played a couple. I have owned a Blackface Deluxe and Blackface and Silverface Bassmans. The V-ampire could hold its own against any of them. There are some really good sounds in this amp. I don't use all of the amp models, but they all sound pretty good. The Brit High Gain is great fo AC/DC if you back the gain off a bit.
The noise gate is a must to prevent feedback with high gain settings. I really hate digital effects, but the effects in the V-ampire are great. You have enough control over the parameters to get your sound right. The flanger is great. All of the effects are great, even the auto-wah, it just takes a little tweaking. I haven't tried my Crybaby 535 with this amp yet, so I don't know how it responds to pedals. The effects sound so good, I don't use any of my pedals at all anymore.
The only real complaint that I have is that the reverb sounds a little tinny and fake, but it isn't that bad. I really don't use reverb that much anyway. A little echo or ping-pong delay sounds much better. I turn the reverb up to about 2 with these effects.
There is a very slight delay when switching between presets, but it isn't that bad. If you don't switch amp models, there is no delay at all when changing presets.
I use this head with a Behringer BG412H cabinet running in stereo mode. This thing is a lot louder in stereo. Now, as for all of the comments about this amps volume. Many people are complaining that this amp is not loud enough. This amp is very loud. Very, very loud. The volume control does not act like it does on most other guitar amps (at least all of the ones I have owned, mostly tube amps). On most other amps, the volume starts out low. When you get to about 3 or 4, there is a huge increase in volume. Once you reach 6 or 7, the amp is really loud, but does not get much louder beyond that point. The V-ampire, on the other hand, starts low and gradually increases. There is no huge jump in volume anywhere on the dial. You have complete control over the volume. So, when you tun the master vol. to 5, it isn't super loud. Just keep turning. On about 7 or 8 this thing is so loud you can feel it in your chest. What I am saying is, just crank it up. This volume control acts like every other volume control should. No jumps in volume, just nice, smooth, steady increase in volume.

I have only had it for 2 weeks, so I am not sure, but I don't really trust anything digital. It seems to be well built.

I have been playing for about 14 years. I have several amps: a Blackface Bassman, Silverface Bassman, Crate Vintage Club 50 head, Ampeg Portaflex B18N, Epiphone Galaxie combo amp (great for blues), a few solid state Peaveys, etc. The V-ampire has any sound I could ever want. I really love this amp. It is like having several amps and effects pedals all in one unit. I really do not like digital effects processors, but I really love the V-ampire. It is basically a digital effects processor with a built in amp. It really honestly sounds great. If anything happened to it, I would buy another. I may even buy another one now, in case they quit making them. I play nu-metal,classic metal, death metal, rock, punk, grunge, alternative, a little blues, and even some reggae, and this thing can deliver whatever tone I want. You can't beat this amp for the price. Period.

I thought the effects and mods sounded pretty good but switching between channels is a problem: In studio mode there's a pause between channels and in live mode it makes this weird loud squeal noise. You can get around it by using the same amp model between two effects but if you don't want that then you're stuck.

It was the quietest amp I've ever heard. You need to put it at around 3 or 4 to even really hear it. I'm sending it back because it's no use if it's this quiet. I'm running the head through a behringer 412S.

Overall it sounds great if you're not planning to play live with a band.

This Head is LOADED w/ em!
This head has it all ya just have to take the time to do research & look at the manual. From what i hear out of the speaker Cab..it has MORE than enough power. IT IS LOUD!
I am not a giging musician....This is the first 1/2 stack i've owned..I have a Traynor 4x10? Celestion loaded Custom Valve 80q combo amp too.

I have guitars ranging from Gibson Les Paul & SG, a Jackson RR5 & A GMW PDV Randy Rhoads. All Humbucking..Tonz of old school Metal tone!...Many different speaker cab/ head combinations.
The clean sounds at high Vol don't seem distorted to me.

Can't comment on it...have only had it < 1 week..would think that it is very reliable.

Again, Can't comment on it...have only had it < 1 week..

Been playing for 23 years. Again.. I have guitars ranging from Gibson Les Paul & SG, Burny LP, a Jackson RR5 & A GMW PDV Randy Rhoads. All Humbucking..I have a Traynor 4x10? Celestion loaded Custom Valve 80q combo amp too. I aslo have a Line6 GP & that is what i wanted to match only LOUDER!
I like everything..you gotta READ the manual.
Thought about line 6 spider & the 75 watt HD but..the price kept me comming back to Behringer.
For me..this IS exactly what i wanted for now.
Read some comment here & elswhere that this may not be loud enough..
That is total BS..i picked up a New, no-name- 8 OHM, 4-12 speaker cab loaded w/ Jensen MOD 50's..it moves my pant legs!!!!the OHM-age thing is what you really have to watch...again READ the manual...

I got this 1/2 stack for 410 bucks incld. shipping! SICK!
This modeling thing is the future..i hated all the stomp boxes all over the floor & batteries & all that crap.

Don't be scared that it might not be loud enough..it VERY loud w the correct equipment.

It's basically got the exact same preamp as the V-Amp 2 (which I used to also own) and V-Amp Pro but is in amp form with 120 solid state watts and different outputs and master volume. The fx aren't bad, IMO, but they lower the volume of whatever amp setting it's on a little. It has a few pretty decent tones, though, and some of the fx sound pretty good.

I play styles ranging from blues-rock, some classical and jazz-inspired rock, classic metal, hardcore punk and extreme metal and shred. IMO the amp has a few really good settings, i.e. Bitish high gain, modern high gain, and rectified head. I stay on British or modern gain most of the time, and some of the cleans sound pretty good, as well. Leads sound really good on modern high gain, too, IMO.

To the last reviewer, I'd have to ask if he tried an eq pedal in the loop. Admittedly, I get better tones when running from a Boss GE-7 eq in its loop and line out from the head into a tube amp's fx loop return (on a Peavey Ultra Plus amp). That setup sounds really good, IMO, and literally the same as using a V-Amp 2 into a tube head. Even alone, I don't think it sounds bad at all and surely deserves more than a 2 for overall rating, but again not everyone can like all the same tones, and I admit I'm basing my score on running it mainly into a tube amp head and I will buy the V-Amp Pro to do so and let my wife use this head to sing through and for late night practicing, though I've also used it to play for people and got a really good sound.

It may be that the Vox Tonelab SE may sound better for some sounds, but for the price these heads run, at the least they're a pretty good deal for practicing, and at best they can be used to run into a tube power amp and sound really good (though you might as well get a V-Amp 2 or V-Amp pro to run into another amp fulltime, as I will).

I bought this amp used at a local Guitar Center w/ no manual, etc, and it's working as good as when I got it over half a year ago and suspect it likely would hold up however long I have it as long as I don't abuse it much or spill drinks into it, etc., but I can't give anything digital a perfect score; that's reserved for intense construction solid state amps such as a Roland JC-120, IMO.

Never called them and never plan to, so I'll leave it as no opinion.

I've been playing since about '88 and have had a buttload of various amps, i.e. Carvin X100B, Laney AOR, Marshall JCM800, Peavey Ultra Plus, Ultra 112, 5150, Rockmaster preamp, Tech 21 Sansamp PSA-1 preamp, Roland JC-120, etc., and I can appreciate that there are better amps than this Behringer head, but for its price and pretty good British and metal tones as well as some good clean tones, I wish I'd have had one when I was first learning guitar and have no problem with its tones into a nice tube head JUST AS LONG AS THE CAB SIM IS TURNED OFF~!

If the cab sim is left on, it will sound harsh and crappy. I got a V-Amp 2 a couple years ago and took it back immediately after bringing it home and hooking it up to my amp and wondered how people could have liked such a harsh crappy tone~! But then I read some reviews and am glad I gave another one a chance~!

Brand new 2005 model. Lot's of different sounds...all terrible! Lot's of different built in effects. I must say this is the quietest 120watt amp I've ever heard, I'm running it with Behringers matched cab BG412H, it sounds more like a sruggling 30watts. I play in a modern rock band, the cab is ace, the amp is junk!

I use Les Pauls with custom shop pickups. Boss ME50. If you can find a tone that suit? You turn the volume up & all the mid comes rushing back in, dial it out & the amps too quiet again! Either way it sounds awfull. No good for rock or metal....can't imagine it being any good for any musical style.

Didn't keep it long enough to find out! Although build quality was excellent the amp looks very tough, being a Behringer it will probably be reliable.

Don't know.

Look this amp is absolutely awful, don't listen to anyone that says it's good...I run a pro studio, Engineer at shows & play in a real rock band....it's kak.....avoid. Behringer make high quality audio equipment, at unbelievably low prices, my studio is completely rigged out with their gear but they can't make guitar amps, don't know what their bass amps are like.

120watt modeling
25 banks- 5 channels per bank

I use a shecter c1 classic, a USA G$L ASAT special , and a Gibson blueshawk with this amp. I'm running it trough two wintage Kustom 4X10 flat responds speaker cabinets. The sounds I'm using are very close to actual tube amps. You have to tweak this amp head like you would any good tube amp and if you set it up right it will respond like a good tube amp. I am very picky about the sounds that I use ( ask my wife or any of the band members that play with me) and have always been looking for that perfect sound. Ive used or owned vintage gibson, marshalls, fender, magnavox, peavy tube, carvin,and a bunch more that I don't have room or time to write about, but this amp head WILL give you real tube sound if you take the time to work with it. Some of the effects are weak , and I do use different pedals when I play, I've yet to found a can do everthing guitar, pedal, or amp.

I have used it for the last year and I have had not problems with it.

I have been playing for 40 years, been in rock, blues, and country bands. Now I play in a church and travel with my minister and band. We do rock and blues style music as well as old school gospel and hip hop. I currently own a cravin X60 tube amp and a fender deville 4-10 which because of the sounds I get from the v-amp head, I went and bought a V-amp 2 that I run through them. I've played line 6 products and look at vox and fender modeling amps and went with beheringer not just because of the money( which I will have to say stop me from even looking at behringer for years) but to me I like the sound that I can get from this amp over the others, there is no such thing as the do-all perfect anything there are always trade offs but you should look at this amp if you are looking for an amp before you spend the big bucks.

Just snagged this on ebay . The date sticker says it was made in Aug 04.The features go on and on but really its a modelling head with a bunch of amps models and effects to choose from. If you record with it you will like the speaker simulations as well. Lots of well thought out features including multiple lines out and XLR out in stereo. Effects loop (as if you need one!) Headphone jack, 125 patch strage spots.
I play a variety of music but mostly rock and heavy metal. Great sounds for me. Lots of power.

I use mainly my Jackson DX10D and my Dean cadillac. Both feature high output pickups and this amp responds ver well to both. I find the high gain type sounds very useful as opposed to some medellers that have lame distortion. The ultimate high gain setting on this puppy is fantastic. I have played lots of amps and this sound is exceptional for me. It is a noisy amp for sure but what do you espect with gobs of gain at your disposal? I use the noise gate feature lots and find it adequate. It has a bit too long of a release for me. THe heavily gated distortion sounds I use almost sound like there is a short reverb on them. It's really just that short time the gate takes to close. Not too bothersome live but in the studio I sould probably use one of my rack mounted gates in the loop instead. When gated it is one of the quietest amps I have ever heard. You can put your ear right up to the speaker and you can hardly tell its on. By the way I play LOUD! I think the clean channels are excellent as well and th effects make a big difference. I got my basic clean sound with some comp and chorus in about 15 seconds. Very very easy to navigate and storing patches is super simple as well. This thing can do every sound made by a guitar amp. The distotion setting are surprisingly realistic and at least some of the amp models are useful to me. What more can you ask really?

No breakdowns yet but I always carry a spare anyway. Digtal stuff can be unpredictable.

Have not dealt with the company but the website is very good. I downloaded the manual and studied it intently for a week waiting for the amp to arrive. That's nice compared to some companies where you can never seen to get any manuals.

I have been playing over 25 years and currently own 9 electric and 2 acoustic guitars. I have lots of brand names and none really stand out except maybe my Dean. I have 6 amps including a Peavy XXL, Triumph and Bandit. A couple of Roland cubes. I have had a few different Marshalls but eventually got rid of them. Tempermental for me. I am becoming a solid state convert.
If it were lost or stolen I would probably seek out another one. My son is jamming with this one in his band and he quite likes it. Easy to use and program and enough patch storage that I gave him his own section of memory! I really like it too and will take it to it's first gig this weekend. I read some reviews that say it is not loud at all and that baffles me. How loud do you need it? I play with a relentless pounder of a drummer and a guy with a Marshall DSL100 and a 4-12 and our bass player likes to be hard as well! No troubles for me with volume. The V-ampire kept up very well. I even got told to turn down! I run a pair of 2-12 bottoms, and compared to my XXL which is 100 watts RMS they seem as loud as each other. You have to do some tweaking to get the gain structure set up with this amp but once you do it's excellent.