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Behringer amps?

R

rapturebass

Dec 6, 2008
741
3
Connecticut
#1
Hi. I'm a 7th grader a a quest for a semi-giggable amp. I've come across a Craigslist ad with a 700 watt Pevey head and 400 watt 4x10 Hartke speaker. I've also come across a 200 watt 1x15 Acoustic pack. However, i've found Behringer ampilification at good prices. What's their rep? My guitard has a Behringer Wah, seems good enough. I'm looking at these:

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with the:

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or this head with it, simply because of the built in clean and distortion channels:[This invalid link has been removed]

Or this:

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Also, if i want to save money i can get a 1x15, but i've heard those make you lose the fundamental. Anyhow, what's Behringer's rep? I AM using the search function. Thankyou for your time.
 
#2
I have had bad luck with Behringer amps. I bought one from GC that was being phased out. It had an ok tone but quickly developed problems. I ended up giving it away to someone that just wanted a crappy amp to fools around with.
 
#5
N8116B said:
I have had bad luck with Behringer amps.
Click to expand...

I've had the opposite experience. Owned a 60 watt with a 12" speaker that was a workhorse and put out an incredible amount of volume and tone for something that size and power. And last week I played a show where they had a BX4500H as part of their backline and it kicked butt. And since it's a house amp I imagine it gets lots of abuse.

I get the feeling it's hit or miss with Behringer. Be careful in taking people's advice here as many will post with having very limited to no experience. A lot of people knock Behringer simply because of their cost - you'll hear a lot of "you get what you pay for." That hasn't been my experience, and what I just said is not in reference to N8s post.
 
#6
I've had my Behringer amp since about last July, I've never had one problem with it, I love the tone and I even left it in my dad's truck for the entire winter and it still works perfectly. Now I know what you're thinking, what kind of dufus leaves an amp in a truck during winter? My answer is: A very lazy one. Also, just to emphasize that, I live in canada and the winter was really cold. My amp is a 180 watt 1x15 and was relatively cheap for that big of a combo amp.

EDIT: Also, I always max out the volume, and still no problem. :P

Yes, I abuse my amp alot.
 
#8
I've heard more negative than positive about Behringer products and more positive than negative about Peavey products.

As for Hartke cabs, I've owned several and sold several when I worked at Thoroughbred Music. IMO the Hartke 1x15 and Behringer sound very much alike. When I was selling them the Hartke cabs were the most common brand to come back with blown cabs though. Take that with a grain of salt because the Hartkes were the most commonly sold amps/cabs when I was working there so it makes sense that more of these would come back with an issue.

Also, a friend of mine that works for Sam Ash recently told me that Sam Ash now owns Hartke so I do not know how that will affect their quality. What I do know is that them owning Hartke/Samson is enough to make me boycott the product.

I don't know your situation other than being a 7th grader but my honest advice to you would be to be patient and keep saving until you can afford something better than Hartke/Behringer.
 
#9
If you're a good player, nobody is going to care what you play through.
This amp is too big for most players. You can get by with a combo for years (Check out Carvin). If you get in volume wars with drummers and guitar players you will always lose. If not just who's louder but also lose your hearing. If you're in a band that wants to play loud, then they should do so through a PA and keep the stage volume reasonable. Watch your favorite bands, you'll see they all now use In Ear Monitors (IEM) and keep the stage volume under control.
 
#10
Have a friend who works for a large musical instrument repair company; they have many problems with Behringer amps both under warranty repair or just used units

Good advice above; be patient and get a good amp; chances are you will have it for quite a while
Carvin would be a good choice
 
#14
I never liked any peavey products that I have owned or used ...

I own a cheapo Behringer BX600 small practice combo amp. It has a 12" speaker and I think it has 60 watts of power. I would never use with a band but it does work as a small practice amp. I have had no problems with it. I must say the tone is not as good as any of my ampeg amps.

Crate makes some reasonably good amps at reasonable prices.
 
#15
I don't own any Behrenger gear but I use it all the time - the rehearsal studio I use has several Behringer rigs with BX4500 with a 2x10/1x15 set up (they have several rooms each with the same rig, so I have played through at least four of these rigs).

Pros- good power and the VU meter thing is kind of cool to watch for clipping (but that isn't really a problem). The "ultra-bass" function is a sub-octave effect, which is always fun (but I usually don't like built-in effects). It sounds great with my Rickenbacker 4001 and 4003.

Cons - it sounds like hell with my Fender. For whatever reason, I just cannot out of the mud with my Fender - the Ricks have great punch to blast through, but the Fender just never makes it. The head does not seem to be made well - little things seems to break all the time and it seems like there are loose wires and other problems (today one of the jacks was totally broken and I had a loud hum no matter what I did). If these heads fare so badly in a studio environment, I bet they would disintegrate if you had to move them around.

Personally, I have no interest in owning Behringer gear.

I have also played a bunch through Hartke gear as backline stuff in venues around here. I have no complaints - they seem to be OK, but nothing to write home about. I would possibly consider Hartke gear, but would need some selling.

In any event, none of the backline stuff comes close to my sound like my GK rig.

I don't know what to say about current Peavey gear. They have been a player in the business for the past million years and that longevity means something. I had some decent Peavey stuff way back in the 70s, so I'd assume they are at least OK now.

I suggest you run down to the store and try out a bunch of things to see what you think. Don't always assume bigger is better - you'll have to lug around whatever you get and in 7th grade you won't have your own wheels to do that.
 
#16
rapturebass said:
Hi. I'm a 7th grader a a quest for a semi-giggable amp. I've come across a Craigslist ad with a 700 watt Pevey head and 400 watt 4x10 Hartke speaker. I've also come across a 200 watt 1x15 Acoustic pack. However, i've found Behringer ampilification at good prices. What's their rep? My guitard has a Behringer Wah, seems good enough. I'm looking at these:

popular here on TalkBass

with the:

popular here on TalkBass

or this head with it, simply because of the built in clean and distortion channels:Invalid Link Removed

Or this:

Invalid Link Removed

Also, if i want to save money i can get a 1x15, but i've heard those make you lose the fundamental. Anyhow, what's Behringer's rep? I AM using the search function. Thankyou for your time.
Click to expand...

Assuming their cabinets are properly designed & made, a 15" speaker will yield a stronger fundamental than a 12", a 12" will yield a stronger fundamental than a 10", and a 10" is better than an 8".

You can verify this for yourself by comparing the frequency response and Xmax (the amount of travel a speaker's cone has) specs. of these various sized bass speakers on Eminence's (a company which makes the majority of drivers found in most brands of bass amps) Web site.

--------

I my view only a professional bass amp will do.

Here in North America at least, Behringer's more affordable products do not seem to be popular with pro players.

In the United States, Peavey and Carvin make dependable, affordable, and good-sounding bread & butter bass amps for working pros. (In Canada their equivalent is Yorkville/Traynor.)

All three of these amp makers offer a wide range of bass amps tailored to every reasonable need and realistic budget.

As well, fdeck wrote an interesting review of the GK BL 600 titled: "Invalid Link Removed."

Avatar makes decent, affordable neodymium (light weight) speaker-equipped bass cabs which are Invalid Link Removed.

If you could state what your budget is, it would help others to make suggestions which are practical to your bass amp needs.

--------

Achieving reliability, serviceability, power, tone, and portability (in that order) at a price one can afford is the goal for me when choosing gear.

Few people regret buying the best quality they can afford...
 
#17
I have a Behringer combo (BX1800 "bass workstation") that sits in the spare room and:

(a) it works

(b) bits keep falling off - nothing scary, just odds and ends like the nut that holds the input jack in place

(c) the tone is ok but nothing to write home about

(d) noticeable and difficult-to-circumvent ground hum problems

For a spare amp, or a practice amp, I'd recommend it. For something that you want to record or gig with, it's a big no-no.

Nowadays I mentally translate "Behringer" as "Ikea". Cheap, does the job, but not built to last.
 
#18
One of my friends bought a behrnger guitar amp because it was cheap and had lots of watts and without doubt it is the worst sounding amp I have ever heard.

I have never tried or heard any of their bass gear so I can't relly comment but from what I've heard I will avoid them.

Hartke is reasonably priced so you may be better off looking at them.
 
#19
MIJ-VI said:
If you could state what your budget is, it would help others to make suggestions which are practical to your bass amp needs.
Click to expand...

Judging by what he's posted, it's around $500.

I would seriously stay away from anything with speakers in it that Behringer offers. It seems that the drivers are pretty shoddy quality and self-destruct rather easily.

As for the amps, I've heard mixed things. Some love them and never had a problem, others have horrible luck.

For around $500, you can do much better than Behringer. Keep in mind that big doesn't always mean louder. You don't need a 4x10 if a 2x10 will be just as good.

If a big bad combo is what your after -
http://bass-guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Kustom-Groove-310C-Bass-Combo-Amp?sku=480765

Here's a few dif amps and cabs that would make a nice starter set up for $500-$600. If you can't afford that, you need to let us know what your price range is.

Inexpensive heads that just about anyone here would recommend -
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Ampeg B1RE

Decent Cabs -
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Ashdown MAG 210T

Acoustic cabs seem to be the bang for the buck. Everything I've read says that you can't beat the tone for the money. Great cabs for the beginner that can't afford $$$$ on high end gear.

No matter what you get, if you go with a 2x10 I would make sure the one I get is 8 ohms. That way you can add a 15 to it down the road if you want. Or, get yourself a good 15 inch combo that allows you to add an extension down the road so you can add another 15 or 210.

Take your bass to GC and any other store you have nearby so you can see what your bass will sound like. If they don't want to hook something up for you, they don't deserve your money.
 
#20
I've had a BX3000T head for about 6 years now. Used to practice at the drummer's house & he smoked around 15 packs a day. I wouldn't bring any of my good gear over there. Anyway ... bought it strictly for practice. $199 and free shipping, I figured it was a throw away after a year or two. Sounded great with several different cabinets. No noise, good tone. I've dropped it, stepped on it, spilled beer on it and it keeps working. It's in a decent practice place now & gets used & pushed every week. Best $199 I ever spent.
 

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