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Fixing to try out a Behringer UltraBass...

T

txbasschik

Nov 11, 2005
7,219
31
63
Leander, Texas
www.myspace.com
#1
Our jam leader is going to let me try out his 450w UB, and the 15' cab, too. He bought them for his keyboardist, but they never get used. Since I already have the 4x10, and am not very happy with my SWR 2004 200w, I figure if I like this arrangement, I'll buy the head and the 15' from him.

Any advice, reviews, cautions, etc.?

I'm picking up the 15' from him on Wednesday...I already have the head. I'll be using the whole stack Wednesday night, and at our gig on Saturday.

Cherie :bassist:
 
#3
I own a behringer combo. It is a great practice amp. However, I did need to re-solder the hot lead wire back on to the speaker. When I was looking at Amps and Cab I did look at Behringer. I went with a Peavey Tour 450 and a Hartke cab. It cost a bit more but the quality is awesome.

Behringers problems, as I have read, seems to be with the quality of the speakers and cabs. IMHO it is a quality control issue. Some amps are OK and some are not.

I recommend trying it out to see if you like it. Just take care, the quality is a bit spotty. You may have a winner- you may not. Compare it before you buy it.

Hope that helps.
 
#4
Cherie.

I owned a small Ultrabass 600. 60 watts, 12" speaker, 5 bands of EQ, etc.

I was wanting a practice/small smooth jazz gig rig, and that was my main reason for buying it.

It was loud enough, but just not for lack of a better word "pleasant" sounding enough for me to keep it.

I would be interested in trying out (someone elses) larger unit like the 4500,etc but the smaller to med size combos get a thumbs down from me. Very sterile sounding and if the unit your trying out has something called "Dynamizer Technology", turn and run as fast as you can. It is essentially a built in limiter that you can't turn off. Apparently cause we're too stupid to know when we're clippin the amp I guess. Or, more likely a way around an otherwise glaring design-flaw. If you play with the lightest touch all the time, you might be able to live with it. But if you're like me and like to play hard or soft depending on the situation, it will most likely bum you out.

JKT:hmm:
 
#5
I'm not gonna knock Behringer as a brand -- I've got some gear that has held up fine -- but I did have a keyboard combo that just flat out failed and left my band out to dry at a gig. The amp was about a year old, had been babied and only played outside of my bedroom a handful of times. Every time it was moved it was always handled gently, and up until the point where it just flat out died, it had worked fine, giving no inclination that there was something wrong. Then, at the second gig we were going to use the amp... we plug it in and attempt to turn it on and nothing. It's never powered up since then. The warranty was up, and now I have an ugly, overweight coffee table.

I'm sure they make some ok amps, but personally I'd never rely on one at a gig.
 
#7
had the first 300 watt ultrabass and used it for 2+ years my kid is still using it. I have a 450watt ultrabass i keep for backup. lot of bang for the buck. favored this over the little kickback ampeg w/15. that ultra bass octave thing is hinky for the bass but really sounds cool with a guitar, really moves some air.
 
#8
Had a 4x10 behringer combo, two of the four drivers exploded within a month and i didn't push it that hard. Stay away from their aluminum cones. I also have a 1x15 from them, sounds like dirt, and my hartke 2x10XL makes significantly more noise than it. I will never again purchase another behringer product, but if you wanna take that dive, go for it.
 
#10
Hmmm...

Well, in light of y'all's advice, if I don't just *love* how I sound with the rig, I won't buy it. I'm willing to go $300 for the head and the 15' together...but I don't think I want to pay more than that for used stuff that may leave me flapping in the breeze.

Checking to see if the head has that Dynamizer-thingie...

Uh-oh. Its Dynamized. :(

I hit the strings *hard*. A limiter I can't turn off? EWWWWWW!!!

I guess we'll find out how bad I freak the thing out on Wednesday.

Cherie
 
#11
Hey guys, quick question here.
I own a Behringer Ultrabass BXL450A.
Its my second amplifier ever, I know Behringer doesn't come to mind when one thinks of quality, but I needed a new combo amp, my 15Watt wasn't cutting it. My budget was very low as well. Well now theres a problem. I tried to hook up my brother's Big Muff to my bass and see how it sounds like, well when I turned on the Muff, the sound cuts completely off, I tried the both the clean and distortion channels. My amp is fine, the bass is fine too, My guess is that my amp isnt compatible with pedals, which really bums me out. Does anyone know why this happens? if its the amp thats the blame what Bass amp would be ideal for pedals and such. Because Im afraid now I have to raise even more money to buy a pedal compatible amp and the pedal itself. So what would be best? sell this amp, and buy a new one, or get it checked out by a professional?

sorry for the long read.
 
#12
Here is a review I did for that cab about three years ago.


I know we have all been involved or read some of the Behringer threads that have been floating around here lately. They tend to sometimes get nasty, political, and sometimes rather offensive. So I am saying this before we begin this little foray. I would prefer to keep this discussion about the gear. Not ethics or anything political. Those that have personally tried the product. Everyone has an opinion and we seem to get caught up in other matters when people sometimes just want to know how something sounds or works. So for those that are interested I will give my review of a new Behringer Ultrabass BA115. I have been hesitant to do this but here goes.

I called my local GC to see if they had any to try. They had the 115 and the 410 in aluminum only. So I loaded up my BX3000T and my Cort/Elrick 5 and went down to take them for a spin. I had tried the 115 in another store about a month back but wanted to see how it will sound with my stuff. Plugged in and took her for a spin. Impressive tone and volume came from that cab. I tapped, slapped, and fingerstyled that puppy and she was very responsive to all of those styles. I usually prefer 10's and am now just discovering 12's so I had kind of given up on 15's. This cab had a nice bright tone with tight mids and lows. I then tried the 410 and for sheer volume that cab dominated the 115. But I discovered the same thing the guys in Bass Player discovered, it lacks in the lows. Punch and mids for days and no bottom. So I buy the 115 and look forward to trying it out with the rest of my stuff. Ever since joining Talkbass I now have stuff. I have 30 days so if I don't like how it sounds with my band I can bring it back.

I get to the church and put the Behringer rig through it paces. Sounds even better with more space and the acoustics of my church. I then hook up my Avatar 210 cab with it and turn off the 115's tweeter. The 210 handles the highs and mids with ease and the 15 gives me ample, tight bottom. This cab is different with its tweeter off. Nothing but lows and some mids but the high end seems to not have totally disappeared. Maybe this is because of the aluminum speakers. With the tweeter on I get nice clean highs that do not sound harsh. My 210's tweeter give me more hiss and that is with the attenuator at about 10 o'clock. I then hook up my BBEpre/B-power amp setup to see how that sounds. Made the 15's tone even tighter and handled the Low B with ease. Now I actually hear and feel the low end. My Avatar 112 gives me the same feel but the aluminum has a certain ring to it. The tweeter on my 112 is not as hissy and the two paired together gives me a quiet and powerful stack.
The cab is not that heavy and the construction seem solid. The carpet covering is rather thin though and will wear quickly with heavy gigging. The side wheels are a good idea only if they were bigger. Rolling the cab over flat pavement is no problem but anything that has thick carpet or is not solid and they become pretty much useless.
Overall the cab is not bad and a steal for 199.00 not including tax. I am not saying it compares to SWR, Aguilar, AccuGroove, or Bergatino. It is nowhere near the big boys in total sound and clarity. But if you are a beginner or need something to bang on and don't want to bring your good stuff then you may be surprised. I would love to A/B this with a 15 from Avatar just to see how they compare. Mine will be a backup/practice cab and support when I need to bring the boom. Tens are nice but I forgot what a 15 brings to the table.
Talkbass has really affected me. I have never owned this much gear in all of my bass playing years. I now have 2 rigs, 3 basses, a combo, and some other gadgets and effects and it feels good. It may not be some of the high end stuff a lot of you guys own but some guys can only work with what they can. I don't tour or play out every weekend. I just play at my church and a coffehouse every now and then. I believe that I will eventually move up as my skills progress. I think that technique is more important than what you are playing on and if you learn to sound good with what you have now then you will appreciate the high-end. Just my .25 cents




Hope this helps.
 
#15
if you are gettign a deal fro myour friend, id say go for it, if you were buying from a store, id say no. If you look around you CAN find some old peavey which will do you good for a long time...i found one today, and though i havent heard it for more than 5 seconds, i think i made the right choice.
 
#17
The head is alright sounding; not transparent at all, but has some cool Ashdown-like character to it IME (I used to own the 300W version). It's quite noisy though, there's a hiss form the treble that's hard to get rid of.

The speakers though...

Man, IMO, Behringer speakers are some of the worst in existence. When I was getting my first non-combo rig about five years back, I opted to pair the Hartke VX cabs to the Behringer head, despite wanting to have matching brands. I would really suggest looking into Avatar or something.
 
#18
Thank you very much! That's good information.

Hmmmm...

If my buddy will sell the cab and the 115 to me for $300 or less, then I think it would be worthwhile. I want to buy a Sansamp next time they're on sale, as I feel like it will help those cabs sound better. I'm also keeping my SWR 2004. Whichever head sounds best *and* is most reliable will be the gigging head, and the other will stay home for practice and house jams.

The lack of adequate gear at home has been a problem for me. My practice amp is at the drummer's house, and my big rig stays on the band's gig trailer. I need something at home. So, I intend to keep a head, and the 115, here at the house unless I need the extra for a show in a big room.

Also gonna bring the SWR along on the "shakedown cruise" tomorrow night and at my gig on Saturday. Just in case the Behringer freaks out and dies on me. ;)

If I'm just altogether unhappy with the purchase, I can sell the whole schmear...everything I've got 'cept the basses...and use the money to buy a couple Avatars and a new head.

Cherie
 
#19
unclejam said:
Hey Do Not plug the 115 And 410 together!
they will fry the Head
Click to expand...

They will? But, if they're all Behringer UltraBass equipment, aren't they supposed to work together? That's the whole reason I want to have the entire stack; so that they can be used together or separately w/o hassle or risk. If I can't use them together, there's not much point in buying them.

Cherie
 
#20
txbasschik said:
Hmmm...

Well, in light of y'all's advice, if I don't just *love* how I sound with the rig, I won't buy it. I'm willing to go $300 for the head and the 15' together...but I don't think I want to pay more than that for used stuff that may leave me flapping in the breeze.

Checking to see if the head has that Dynamizer-thingie...

Uh-oh. Its Dynamized. :(

I hit the strings *hard*. A limiter I can't turn off? EWWWWWW!!!

I guess we'll find out how bad I freak the thing out on Wednesday.

Cherie
Click to expand...

I don't know if it's me or a trait of many of us. To tell you the truth I never asked any other players that I can think of.But I can tell right away if there is too much compression/limiting. If I choose to suddenly rip the low E string off the bass, that is the sound I'm goin for, and that is what I want it to sound like. I don't want to have to fight it all the time. Or concentrate on playing at the same exact consistent attack and volume all the time for fear of triggering the limiter. I liek to squish it a little. Just a little.

JKT
 

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