The Last Bass Outpost
Gear Discussion Forums => Bass Amps & Effects => Topic started by: Pilgrim on July 31, 2008, 11:30:25 AM
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OK, true confessions. My gig amp is a Behringer BX4500H that I bought about 18 months ago.
(http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j306/apowell1/Electric%20Basses/BX4500H-1.jpg)
So far, I absolutely cannot complain about this amp. It has worked flawlessly, it's quiet, and it has about twice as much power as I have ever needed playing in a surf band that's not in the bleeding-ear biz. I've read many threads in many forums, and the sense I get is that this particular amp (the 4500) is a good performer and many people are using it without problems. The amp is a great value - I have about $150 into mine - and I'm hard-pressed to find any fault with it. It seems like most others have had the same experience; although the initial and short-term failure rate seems higher than most, which is probably accounted for by its budget origins.
I've been playing it through a Peavey BX-115 (single 15") cab with an Eminence speaker, and it has performed very well. I recently bought a G-K 4x10 cab to use with it, as I want better note definition while playing and I don't think the single 15 is going to deliver that definition.
I don't really fret about 'tone", I just look for a sound that pleases me. But so many people agonize over the concept of tone (and often much too obsessively, I think) that I sometimes wonder if I'm missing something. shoudl I be more discriminating? Should I be looking at other amps just because they're often claimed to sound better - and I'm just not noticing something that's missing?
And what about others who own Behringer amps? I see that now they have the BVT 4500H (and 5500H) which include tube modeling. http://www.zzounds.com/item--BEHBVT4500H . They're moving along with their offerings.
Kindly discuss.....
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When I had a rack system I used the 1500 power amp ($249) along with my Yamaha PB1 and it was a great clean tone especially with a Jazz Bass. Never had a problem with it. My band also uses a 32 channel Behringer board for the past 3 or 4 years with no problems at all.
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I use a little Behringer BX1200 in my teaching room. Its cheap, sounds average and allows me to plug a student and myself in together.
It can be done but its hard to get a half decent sound out of though in all seriousness.
(http://www.guitarcool.com/review/bamp/behringer/bx1200/bx1200_medium.jpg)
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I only have experiences with DIs, which are okay for the money.
The amp above looks a lot like an Ashdown MAG300 and I always wonder if they're made in the same factory? The MAG300 is cheap, so I would prefer that one.
A while ago I tested some small 60W 12" practice combos. Laney, Warwick, Behringer, Line6. The Behringer was the noisiest by far! Much noisier than the others in the same electricity socket.
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I use a Behringer BX3000H (the previous model of yours, same looks but less watt) with one BA 115 cab (1x15" with aluminium speaker).
Ofcourse the weak link is the cab, it was a mistake of me to get the model with the aluminium speaker, I will possibly change it for an Eminence, since the cab seems ultra-tough.
But the amp is a real beast, it has alot of different sound options, plus that real cool VU meter!
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Behringer has their own factory in China. It's not an Ashdown MAG with a different nameplate.
I have nothing against Behringer. Despite the hysterical rants you sometimes see elsewhere, they're just copying non-patented technology. Roland is suing them for trademark infringement over the look of some of their pedals, but just because a suit is filed doesn't mean it has merit.
I do think their specs are exaggerated. They advertise the head as 450 watts, but when you look at the specs in the manual, it says "450 watts peak power." Okay, what is the actual RMS wattage at 4 and 8 ohms, and at what % THD? I'll bet the legitimate figure is nowhere near 450.
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Dave may well be right - there are no specs more tweaked and manipulated in amps than power and THD. As he notes, a peak power rating often indicated that the RMS power is considerably less - often about half. But whatever wattage that 4500 is putting out, it really DOES stomp. For my use, it has an incredible amount of reserve power and overhead. I have tried hooking up both my Peavey BX-115 and my new G-K 4x10 so the amp head saw 4 ohms and delivered its full power - it shook the house for just a few notes. I think I'd have to play a venue the size of Red Rocks to actually need both cabs on that head.
I also own a Behringer BDI21 direct box (SansAmp copy), and I've been pleased with it. I recently compared the Boss reverb unit and the Behringer copy, which is the DR100 reverb ($25 at Sam's Club online). I actually liked the Behringer better, and even if I had liked the Boss better, it would have been hard to justify another $125 in cost.
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My experience with a BX4210A was horrible. The plastic passive jack broke first. Then I blew the horrible speakers. Got those replaced via the warranty, blew those. Replaced them with Eminence. Blew the tweeter. Luckily I was able to get the thing to limp long enough for me to get my current rig together. I didn't mind the sound too much, but a handful of other people made comments about how bad it was once I got the ampeg/marshall thing together.
But the place where I work has had nothing but success with one of the single 15 tilt back ones (not sure of the model). So I guess it's really hit or miss with them.
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Gotta admit the BX1200 is a bit noisy and impossible to fix if it breaks.
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I have nothing against Behringer, but my experiences aren't that good...
My girlfriend tried out this very cheap Tubescreamer copy, before she bought the real deal. It sounded okay, but in clear modus (so pedal switched of, but in the line of guitar ---> Behringer ---> amp) it totally destroyed the clean guitar sound.
And it didn;t affect it, it destroyed it!
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I have the little BX108 "Thunderbird" (15w 1x8) amp which I used for quiet solo practice for several years now. No issues, sounds decent, built like a tank and ultra portable. Recently I've been using it in a bi-amp sort of situation with my PJB gear. I rout all effects through the BX108 for flavor and keep the PJB stuff clean and loud. Works surprisingly well.
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Definitely a mixed bag of reports.
The interesting thing is that since I bought the 4500 amp, I've followed threads about it - and it seems to be one piece of Behringer gear that people like. Maybe they hit a good design with this one?
But every now and then I do get a hankering to A/B it with some other amp - like one of the new Acoustic 200's or something else that gets a lot of positive press. I'd kind of like to see if there's something I'm missing. I don't HEAR anything missing - and I'm happy with the sound - but it makes me wonder.
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I had the 60 watt Behringer model for a month and the head blew. Music 123 had a 45 day return policy so I did. I got a Fender Bassman 100 and the head blew after a week. Took that back to the dealer. Finally got a new Peavey MAX something or other with a 15 inch speak and that was great for practice at home and in the basement with the band. Kept that for about a year.
When I changed from the SVT 3Pro for gigs to a Mesa Scout with a 15" extension cab, I sold the SVT & Peavey since the Scout is so portable. Life is good finally. Down to one amp, 2 cabinets, all of which fits into the back of my Eclipse. End of story.
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So in that case, the Fender didn't hold up any better than the Behringer. Interesting.
I'm down to a 30-pound amp, 4x10 cab with an additional 1x15 available if/as needed, plus pedal board, plus my wireless case, plus a backup head, plus 2 basses, plus.......................
And I usually transport our pair of PA speakers and the PA head, plus a couple of mic stands and the audio cables and mikes.
Good thing I have a Blazer SUV to bring all this stuff to the gig.
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i have an acoustic adi 21 pedal. a small miracle worker this one is. only 22 bucks new to boot.
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That would be this one, right?
http://www.behringer.com/ADI21/index.cfm?lang=eng
Looks very much like the BDI21 bass direct interface, which I've used and been pleased with for nearly two years.
http://www.behringer.com/BDI21/?lang=eng
I will admit that I hankered to get something like a SansAmp but didn't feel like paying $200 or so. The $30 BDI21 has done well by me.
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i use it with my abg to take the harshness out of the piezzo. works great.
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Anyone used a Behringer wah pedal? They claim the frequency is adjustable enough for bass....
http://www.zzounds.com/item--BEHHB01
I'm not sure I have a need for one, just curious if others have tried them out....and for what.
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I've always wondered why Behringer copied the look of the MAG300H, since it's not exactly a high end amp. Also I would like to meet the designer who thought it would be a good idea to cover amplification gear in black nylon carpet with a magnetic attraction for cat and dog hair.
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... Also I would like to meet the designer who thought it would be a good idea to cover amplification gear in black nylon carpet with a magnetic attraction for cat and dog hair.
Have you noticed that black amp carpet also attracts cigarette burns? Even if you don't smoke, it somehow gives off an aura that makes smokers want to rest their lit cigarettes on it.
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I'm feeling that this one will be one of my near buys.
http://www.behringer.com/VT999/index.cfm?lang=ENG (http://www.behringer.com/VT999/index.cfm?lang=ENG)
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I don't own any Behringer Amps, BUT I DO own a BDDI21 -sans amp copy- & it has been treating me well for a few yrs also. ;)
U mention the 4500 being the ONE bit of Behr. gear ppl seem to like.... well the EUROPOWER amps seem to be failry well respected in my circles. A friend's been using the 2400w EP amp for about 5 yrs now & it's never given him a bit of gripe! Been working tirelessly 2x/week now. :o
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I'm feeling that this one will be one of my near buys.
http://www.behringer.com/VT999/index.cfm?lang=ENG (http://www.behringer.com/VT999/index.cfm?lang=ENG)
I bought that 'Berry and I love it! It has alot of useful sounds for guitar AND bass, I'll post some clips, maybe tonight. Stay tuned!
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I have a 4500H that until I got my 1001RBmkII a few months back was my main amp. No problems here.
'magnetic attraction for cat and dog hair'..... You got that right.
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The only Behringer gear I've currently got is the rack tuner. Zero complaints on my end and for a company that's known for reverse-engineering, they do it very well. I've owned one of their cabs in the past and found it ...... sterile to say the least - it wasn't around long. However, I actually didn't mind the few heads I tried. I found them easily on a par with Hartke. Oh yeah, IIRC, BFB from BABP used the Europower amp for several years without complaint. He's the ultimate road-dog, like 250+ gigs/year so that's definitely a testament to Behringer.
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Here are the clips of my Behringer VT999, sorry for the long delay but I'm an extremely lazy person!
I use my Epi Tbird (both pups full), settings on the vt999 are: vol/treble/mid/bass on 12 o'clock.
I play bypassed/gain on 0/gain on 3/gain on 5/gain on 7/gain on 10.
I have change its cheap valve with an JJ, that made alot of difference.
First clip is fingerstyle, on the second I play with a pick, third clip is Motorhead (hell yeah).
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=737959&songID=7065817
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=737959&songID=7065852
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=737959&songID=7065870
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That pedal sounds pretty good - I prefer the fingerstyle sound - about halfway between distortion and fuzz. Could be very handy for the right number.