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Question about Behringer 4500

D

Dan_S

Aug 31, 2006
10
0
#1
Hi everyone, i'm a new Bass player (2 Months now) and have a question about my amp.

I bought a BX4500H the other day, i wasn't planning on this amp but saw it in a used shop for 200 Cdn. It was brand new and i got him to throw in 2 really nice cords with it so i figure i did ok. Not to mention, i would much rather replace a 200$ Behringer than a 500$ amp from the music store when i have to (Saving up for the Ashdown 575 Watt x2 Amp)

Problem is, in the manual it says to adjust the Gain until the meter shows half way. Even with the gain at full the meter only shows one third. Is this my bass just not sending enough signal ?? (It is a really crappy bass so i don't doubt it). Is this something i have to worry about ? I'm hoping to use this amp on stage in a few months at a local jam night (Got a bar that lets new bands come in and play 3 songs every thursday) and don't want to find out this isn't loud enough.

Also my mid tones really vibrate everything like mad, i mean ALOT. Is this normal, do i just need to EQ it better ?

My bass is next on the list to be upgraded, but that aint till December :(

Thanks,
Dan S.
 
#2
I have heard this same issue with the gain from others as I have the same head and the needle never moves on mine either. I dont know the actual reason for it, but I know that the behringer head really only has the needle thing so it looks like the ashdown stuff (cosmetic) Dont worry about it, nothings wrong.

What do you mean by "everything is vibrating?" Youar amp? the walls? Your liver? whats vibrating?
 
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#4
I had the 300 watt version of that head. It performed very well, but, that needle never worked on mine, either.
I could overload the crap out of it, and it would still only move maybe 1/3. I wouldn't worry about it.

The parts that matter - power and sound - are going to be fine for you with that head.
 
#5
Dan_S said:
Sorry, the speaker and everything around it vibrates. Alot. It's a real anoying sound.

The speaker is a Yorkville 1x15, the smaller one that they make.
Click to expand...

Where are you playing? In a small bedroom or a larger room?

If you are doing most of your playing in a small bedroom, it winds up being really hard to judge anything. In my bedroom, I get all kinds of cruddy tone and vibration sounds from a variety of objects in the room.

Try to work on your tone in something like a basement.
And, when you get to that jam night, you'll see your tone is probably completely different. [In a good way]

Enjoy the journey.
 
#6
I play my Behringer 4500 straight up (in the middle) on the EQ and Gain. Ultrabass function at 9 o'clock and shape at 7 o'clock. ( I dont use ultrabass or shape functions as part of my tone). I also plug my active bass into the passive input on the amp and my bass guitar volume is on full. I adjust my overall volume from the amps output knob. I tried plugging into the active pick up but the meters needle never moved. The 5 band EQ on the amp is very sensitive. Use small adjustments on the EQ

I would suggest that you start off with the amps EQ in the middle, gain at 5. no ultabass or shape features engaged.

Your bass on full volume, the bass and treble in the middle

Set the amps output and play your bass. Go through all the amps eq settings individually to see how it changes the tone.

Then make the adjustments to the EQ to your liking. Write the settings down. Fine tune your tone with your Bass Guitar controls.
 
#8
the VU meter works fine on my bx3000t.. (Squier Precision '85, OLP MM5 etc)

but I have this issue, when I leave the powercord plugged in, and then turn it on, it will blow the fuses.. I find this very annoying, but I've heard from other players that it's 'Normal'.

Doesn't seem normal to me.. are there more players having this problem?
 
#9
Gothax said:
the VU meter works fine on my bx3000t.. (Squier Precision '85, OLP MM5 etc)

but I have this issue, when I leave the powercord plugged in, and then turn it on, it will blow the fuses.. I find this very annoying, but I've heard from other players that it's 'Normal'.

Doesn't seem normal to me.. are there more players having this problem?
Click to expand...


Doesnt sound normal to me. Mine does not do that. Do you turn down the gain and output before you shut it down? Also check a different outlet or change out your surge protector if your usng one.
 
#10
Gothax said:
but I have this issue, when I leave the powercord plugged in, and then turn it on, it will blow the fuses.. I find this very annoying, but I've heard from other players that it's 'Normal'.

Doesn't seem normal to me.. are there more players having this problem?
Click to expand...

I havent had this problem yet, but I dont want to start. Have you found a solution? Do you just unplug the power chord after each use?
 
#12
Gothax : Don't have this problem, now i've only had the amp about 5 days but havn't blown a fuse yet. My amp is plugged into a good Powerbar and i leave the gain/output alone when i turn it on/off.

Also just thought i would add a bit about the amp now that i have used it for a few days. I know i've seen alot of posts about how bad it sounds.

Well i havn't heard anything else so i can't compare it to anything except my 15 Watt Kustom Combo (Got it in my starter deal).

It pretty much sounds the same as the little one only it's alot louder. It does get a buzz at high volumes when the midrange is turned up, but if i turn the treble on my bass down it goes away so i think it's my cheap bass making it.
 
#13
hello! i have the 450 head with the 4x10 cabinet. i use it with my upright. and the slab. the needle doesn't move much ever. i don't use the ultra bass function (it makes the bass too distorted. and is for drop tuning or 5 or 6 string basses i feel.) just set the master at 2 o'clock. then the eq's flat. then plug into the passive input. (it sounds better) then slowly adjust the gain. then eq the thing too suite your needs for that room.( the eq's will make it louder also) get some 10's. (15's are too muddy), and a better bass when ya can. everybody craps on the behringer stuff but i got mine new from musician's friend for under $500.00. and my friends say it blows away their more expensive rigs. and i've had ampegs, gk, peavey, hartke,and for the money this thing works fine. never had the fuse blow. that could be the voltage in europe difference maybe? i dunno. have fun and enjoy what you can affoard. and save for a used better bass , and don't let the bastards get you down!! barn.
 
#14
Yeap I turn the gain/master down when I switch it on/off. for now, I unplug the powercord after each use and plug it in and switch it on real fast when I want it to go on :p

I was wondering... the bx3000t has a built in fuse. could it be i've blown that fuse and now the internal protection cuts off the power every time i turn it on?? :confused: (before i had my cabs i switched on the amp once, plugged the bass in, but because there was no speakercable inserted, the amp shut off. maybe i blew the fuse with that action)
 
#15
I dont own a Behringer yet but I have noticed that they are very simular to the Ashdown MAG 300 which I do own; and they have the same issue when it comes to fuses. There is a speaker protection fuse that just shuts down your amp if you are not careful. Try using a surge protecter too. Do not plug and unplug your speaker cables while the amp is on or you will blow a fuse too. I plan to purchase a BX4500 Behringer for backup for my Ashdown because they have a lot of power and overall sounds very good for the price.
 
#16
I used the BX4500H for a couple of years as my main amp. Anyone who tries to tell you that model is a bad sounding amp is - to put it bluntly - full of crap. If the amp sounds bad, it's either due to a bad cab or setting the amp controls incorrectly.

That's a decent amp with plenty of power, and it's one of the best values on the market in its price range. Mine was clean, dependable, powerful and gave great service.

What the meter reads really isn't that important. Read the manual carefully and you'll see that the meter reading depends on the control settings, and it's monitoring the gain out of the preamp, not the output of the amp. That meter can barely be twitching and you can still put plenty of power out. The important thing is what your ears tell you.

The manual can be downloaded here...look at page 6: http://www.behringer.de/EN/Products/BX4500H.aspx

And the only reason I sold mine is because I've gone to lightweight gear.
 
#17
Well said. I took the VU Meter off my BX4210A combo and used my ears instead of my eyes to dial her in.

Never blown a fuse either. My amp is always on. Plugged into a powerbar and that's controlled by one of those light switches that controls either the top/bottom socket. I forget which one...so, when I walk into my practice space. I flip the switch and let the amp warm up, get the fan going and I'm ready to play by the time I sling my axe over my shoulder.
 
#18
Hi gang. This is my first post on the forum, and I'm a closet novice bassist, so please be gentle :)
I do have a question about the RMS wattage, but first I wish to add my observations to your comments.

I have the behringer 4500. I've noticed the volt meter not moving much, but it does move on mine. After reading the manual, my understanding is that the Gain pot (preamp) affects how much signal is sent and thus, if the Gain is higher, more volt meter movement. Or maybe I was just thumping harder...

Regarding the Ultrabass, it sounds like some of y'all aren't aware of what it actually does. It's just an octave [down] effect. To those who commented that it's geared towards 5- and 6-string basses, I respectfully disagree. I've noticed it sounds rather cool when I play melodic riffs on my upper frets. Higher notes = cooler sound with Ultrabass engaged.

Now on to my question. Is it 450w RMS or "program?" The manual doesn't specify. Nobody seems to specify. I'm trying to determine the ACTUAL wattage ... Any help is much appreciated!!!!!
 
#19
Zombie thread. Anyway to respond to the new post above, I'm not sure what the wattage rating of the 4500 actually is. I used one for 3 years and all I cared about during that time was that it was very loud.

Its certainly not a true 450w RMS head. Behringer gear is almost always rated 'generously' or by peak rating. Its almost certainly less than 450w
 
#20
Hi.

Welcome to TalkBass nickgrooves.

nickgrooves said:
Is it 450w RMS or "program?" The manual doesn't specify. Nobody seems to specify. I'm trying to determine the ACTUAL wattage ... Any help is much appreciated!!!!!
Click to expand...

It's 450 "Behringer watts" ;).
Peak would probably be the closest guess.

Behringer watts are "measured" a wee bit differently...

If You really want to know, the easiest way is to have the amp benched, different audio frequencies into a dummy load.
Preferably monitored with a distortion meter as well as with an oscilloscope since the waveform degradation (=distortion) on the low frequencies caused by the inadequate power supply is hard to see on the o-scope.

The ~1% THD power figure is probably around 150-200W on 50Hz.

The wattage (or the speaker area) of a rig doesn't matter much though, it's either enough to get the job done or it's not.
IME/IMO anyway.

Regards
Sam
 

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