Why is this so cheap?

[Nathan in NJ]

I think I will pick one of these up, just to play with for home practice.
Behringer BDI21 V-Tone Bass Driver DI Pedal

But why is it so cheap? You can't even buy a DI separate for $39 and this has that plus much more. I would dismiss it as something that can't possibly be usable, except all the good reviews??

Nathan

 

[BassDaddy77]

It's cheap because it's Behringer's copy of the ubiquitous SansAmp pedal. It's kinda what Behringer does (as far as their pedals are concerned).

 

[bassbrad]

People love to bash Behringer but they make usable budget gear for casual players and also offer better quality gear for studio, synth, sound and other uses. Behringer literally has an island where the manufacturing is done for most of the Music Tribe brands of which there are a surprising number of.

 

[Nathan in NJ]

It's cheap because it's Behringer's copy of the ubiquitous SansAmp pedal. It's kinda what Behringer does (as far as their pedals are concerned).

I actually didn't know that, it's a copy. So that helps to explain the price. And also I read after I posted this that it has a plastic housing, so that explains too. I'm looking forward to playing with one.

 

[Nathan in NJ]

People love to bash Behringer but they make usable budget gear for casual players and also offer better quality gear for studio, synth, sound and other uses. Behringer literally has an island where the manufacturing is done for most of the Music Tribe brands of which there are a surprising number of.

Guilty. I used to be a snob Behringer basher years ago. But I'm a bit more pragmatic now.

 

[NegativeCreep]

As purely a hobbyist, new to bass, I am quite happy with the bdi21 I got a while back. I gassed over it for a while, as mundane as that sounds. After spending a few hundred on other pedals that did not accomplish what I wanted, the bdi21 does exactly what I want from it. Other than the 1980's Radioshack styling, and the knobs having higher resistance than I'd like, I can't knock it.

 

[bassbrad]

Guilty. I used to be a snob Behringer basher years ago. But I'm a bit more pragmatic now.

I'm not embarrassed to say that I have a number of pieces of Behringer gear that has served me well for quite a few years, some 20+ and still going. I have been using an ADI21 for several years with my abg and classical guitar with satisfying results.
Currently I am tinkering with a B2600 synth that is stellar.

 

[RJ]

It's cheap because it's Behringer's copy of the ubiquitous SansAmp pedal. It's kinda what Behringer does (as far as their pedals are concerned).

I don’t interpret this as bashing. All of this is factual so far as I know.

The lack of R&D, the components used, and the labor paid are reasons why it’s inexpensive.

If it sounds good is subjective.

 

[kodiakblair]

But why is it so cheap?

It's cheap because electronic components cost very little.

It's cheap because Music Tribe , Berhinger's parent company, are huge ; so huge they manufacture components themselves.

It's cheap because its mass produced.

Be grateful it's cheap as the BDi21 is a great pedal

 

[Indiana Mike]

If it’s cheap it’s sucks.
Not necessarily.
I know of and have seen plenty of Behringer gear in the wild , especially personal mixers and small pa speakers.

 

[pcake]

It's cheap because electronic components cost very little.

It's cheap because Music Tribe , Berhinger's parent company, are huge ; so huge they manufacture components themselves.

It's cheap because its mass produced.

Be grateful it's cheap as the BDi21 is a great pedal

and it's cheap because another company did the expensive part of R&D.

 

[Discount Bassy]

I want to like Behringer. My first guitar amp was a used Behringer that went back to the store before it ever played a note. It never played a note. It was broken off the shelf. My bad for not testing it in the store. I returned it and bought a used Peavey Bandit instead that could not be killed. My first bass amp was a used Behringer. I tested it in the store and then brought it home to discover that it had several problems, notably with bizarre internal vibration noises and shutting down intermittently. I returned it for an Ampeg combo that served me for half a decade without incident other than being insufficiently powerful at 100w. My bad, again. The consistent failings of the Behringer equipment (in my experience) had soured me for years, even knowing that I was likely buying other people's problems with gear. It could have been my the music store I was using being somewhat notorious for being cheap and sneaky. I dunno. I've been recommended some Behringer gear of late and have been seriously considering the brand alongside others...and then the dude that recommended has his mixing board fail on stage...

 

[kodiakblair]

and it's cheap because another company did the expensive part of R&D.

What R&D ?

Preamps are simple circuits , there is very little to them.

 

[Slevage]

I think I will pick one of these up, just to play with for home practice.
Behringer BDI21 V-Tone Bass Driver DI Pedal

But why is it so cheap? You can't even buy a DI separate for $39 and this has that plus much more. I would dismiss it as something that can't possibly be usable, except all the good reviews??

Nathan

Stealing designs and tweaking them with cheaper methods is cheaper than developing products and building in quality.

 

[bassbrad]

and it's cheap because another company did the expensive part of R&D.

Stealing designs and tweaking them with cheaper methods is cheaper than developing products and building in quality.

There are a lot of companies that copy others designs, Behringer for the most part are not secretive and make no dubious claims and their cloned products are almost always discontinued and have significant reengineering to fit into their manufacturing process.
If you're going to bash Behringer then you better buckle up as more than half of the popular boutique pedals are largely clones of other original designs even the OCD.

 

[micguy]

What R&D ?

Preamps are simple circuits , there is very little to them.

I've designed quite a few, and either I'm really slow, or there's a lot more to it than you think there is. Often, it's a lot harder to design something that's "simple" than it is to do it with more parts - someone who clones stuff may not get everything (like the layout) perfect - it may have some small issues (noise or whatever), but by cloning the circuit, they avoid a LOT of work.

 

[BassDaddy77]

I don’t interpret this as bashing. All of this is factual so far as I know.



The lack of R&D, the components used, and the labor paid are reasons why it’s inexpensive. If it sounds good is subjective.

I didn't mean for it to be derogatory. Just saying that's Behringer's game. From vids I've watched, is sounds like a nice pedal.

 

[gln1955]

What R&D ?

Preamps are simple circuits , there is very little to them.

So, if we gave you a pile of parts, you could build all of your own pedals?

 

[kodiakblair]

So, if we gave you a pile of parts, you could build all of your own pedals?

You're aware there is a huge DIY pedal industry ?

 

[Windreaper]

There are a lot of companies that copy others designs, Behringer for the most part are not secretive and make no dubious claims and their cloned products are almost always discontinued and have significant reengineering to fit into their manufacturing process.
If you're going to bash Behringer then you better buckle up as more than half of the popular boutique pedals are largely clones of other original designs even the OCD.

Behringer has a history of cloning a lot more than out-of-production analog synths. And they don't stop at cloning the circuit design, but also clone the original product's looks.

Behringer survived the famous Mackie lawsuit because circuit board designs weren't covered by the US Copyright Office at the time. Behringer then went on to rip off the look of Boss pedals (settled out of court), then Line6 (remember the V-Amp?), and the list goes on, plenty of accounts on the internet.