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Sound:
This is simply the best starved-plate front-end I have heard yet. This is my first Behringer product, and I have no prejudice against the company as many seem to. I also have built several single- and multi-tube preamps over the years. This pedal's circuit design is a success. The stock tube was unimpressive, bland, and murky; but still not the worst distortion sound I've heard. I substituted an old RCA 12AU7, followed by an old, generic 12AT7. Wow... Each tube completely changed the character of the pedal. The tone controls enabled dialing in the optimal settings for each tone. Mind you, I've had the pedal two days, and I'm running it into a Digitech RP200 (to add a touch of reverb--that's all!) and straight into my PC with its tiny speakers. IMO, this only increases the challenge for the VT999. I was extremely impressed at the variety and musicality of the tones I was getting, with little thought or effort. And I want to emphasize something---many players buy a distortion pedal, crank it to 10, and bang on power chords during their evaluation. Even the WORST products sound decent when you do that. The real test of this type of pedal is when you dial it back and listen carefully to how the sound breaks up as you're just starting to overdrive the tube. Bang a chord and listen as it fades to clean. Such testing separates the good distortions from the wannabes. The VT999 does very well in this department.
Feature:
The VT999 is simple, straight-forward and does what it says. I haven't used the noise gate feature yet, because it is so quiet. It's nice to have, though. Comes with AC power. Sweet.
Ease of Use:
I haven't read the manual yet. No learning curve at all. Just get yourself a Phillips screwdriver and scavenge a few old, used 12A_7-family tubes and do a mess of swap-and-listen sessions. (BTW--forget about NOS tubes at this point -- until you home in on a favorite, just stick in whatever tubes you can find--stuff you may have pulled from Granny's Philco radio, etc. If you find one you really like, THEN worry about hunting down a few NOS tubes of that brand.)
Quality:
Solid construction outside, absolutely adequate and typical inside. Nice spring clamp for the tube. Some find the spring too tight. Mine seemed just right.
Value:
The sound is fantastic. BUT it only does one thing, so I think its typical selling price of around $70 is a bit steep. But IMO it's a pedal you will use a lot, so that must figure into the question of value.
Manufacturer Support:
Unknown
The Wow Factor:
I don't "lust" after equipment anymore...I'm too old. This pedal is not particularly pretty, but it sounds incredible. THAT'S what attracts me to it.
Overall:
If lost/stolen, I would immediately replace this pedal. It makes me want to play, which is high praise. Since it is simply a distortion pedal, it does need some sweetening with back-end EQ and reverb/delay. In my experimenting so far, I'm not sure if I would attempt to use it as a DI box, but that would require more testing. I'm eager to hook it into the effects loop of my Carvin tube amp. If I had to change anything (practical) about it, I'd be interested to hear a version of this pedal with a higher plate voltage. I bought this pedal because I know from experience that low-voltage tube circuits can work, but most are executed badly. The reviews I read told me the VT999 was different.
9 of 9 people
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Sound:
The pedal sounds really nice, it's very responsive to even the slightest of changes in the settings. Is doesn't have a really variable sound, as it will always stay quite warm and round, but thats also the case with almost every tube overdrive I've come across...
Someone may dislike the true-bypass on the pedal, but it suits me perfectly...
Feature:
The pedal is very straightforward - it has controls for bass,mids and treble, and has level and gain knobs. Also, it has a very usable noise gate with a threshold knob and an on/off switch. The power supply included in the package is also quite reliable, as I've used it with a lot of other pedals...
Ease of Use:
Its very simple to make the wanted sound, a matter of seconds, really.
The presets in the manual are quite logical and usable, also...
Quality:
The casing is robust and can be kicked around a lot, so its very usable on tours or for constant gigging. I've had it for around 3 years and it survived some 20+ gigs and countless rehearsals. Only thing to watch on are the knobs which are made of hollow plastic and aren't replaceable.
Some pedals also have a faulty tube in them, so try out before you buy them !
Also, the blue power LED is too bright and will annoy the hell out of you if you use it in low-light situations (I've put gaffer tape over it)
Value:
The pedal has a great sound for a very low price in comparison with other tube overdrives out there.
Manufacturer Support:
Never had the need for it...
The Wow Factor:
It's a love-hate thing with this one - some think it looks very retro and like it, some think it is ugly and looks like a russian sewing machine - a matter of taste on this one.
It could get a better combination of colors, as this dirty-white with a giant black V gives it a cheap look...
In my case, I don't mind the look as long as the sound is right.
Overall:
I play a variety of genres (from electronic-rock crossover to grindcore) and this pedal has proved really useable for all of them. If it died on me, i'd buy it again. I may need another dist pedal with a more synthetic metal sound, but this one will remain in the setup aswell.
5 of 5 people
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Sound:
I bought 2 and they both have inferior tubes. They barely light up and take 5 mins. to warm up to where there's no static. It muddies your clean tone and there is no touch sensitivity. The distortion is fantastic. Noise gate and EQ are great.
Feature:
I already have a good clean tone . I wanted this to add the tube feel to a ss amp. With these tubes it just can't get true clean, even with gain on zero. It is built very well with metal housing and jacks.
Ease of Use:
It takes some adjusting to dail in.
Quality:
road worthy.
Value:
Half the price of others.
Manufacturer Support:
Have not called yet.
The Wow Factor:
Fully adjustable tube dist. for my solid state amp. Nice.
Overall:
This is worth the extra 10 bucks for a new tube. Maybe yours will have a good one. I am going to try a 12au7 for more clean. I am keeping both of mine.
8 of 9 people
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"In world of a thirsting tone for the tube replicates and that urge for round smooth tone. This pedal delivers very close to othe" submitted October 9, 2011
Sound:
All i got to say is don't let the name fool you. just because it's not a boutique or highly recommendable brand doesn't mean it's trash. I would call it a overdrive/dist driver. It does it very well. I am glad i am here to witness what a good dist/drive box it's. Lets not be arrogant, this is a tube driven box. hello, it will replace some of your drives shockingly.
Feature:
Let me see, tube dist/overdrive, noise gate, decently responsive controls. HHHHHHHMMMMMMMMMMMMMm not bad behringer.
Ease of Use:
Fairly easy, it can be versatile and compliment your tone. do not try using a daisy chain with this pedal you'll suck juice and tone from it. don't be retarded, use the power supply given.
Quality:
I am giving it an eight only because the knobs are plastic and straight into the circuit. everything else is legit and good quality.
Value:
A good value apart from the knobs. the price, sounds, and options make up for it.
Manufacturer Support:
haven't called. The spring it comes with inside popped. i accidentally pulled hard on it so be careful it is a tube box...hello.
The Wow Factor:
I have it and like the vintage x-men graphic look alike from a marvel comic book. Born in the '90s.
Overall:
If this were stolen i would replace it, it has a good sound. really that's what counts.
Overall:
I bought it a while ago and it sounds great to me, but beware: this is most likely of the "starved plate" category of tube drivers, running at a low voltage. Google that if you don't know what I mean.
Other tube drivers like the Seymour Duncan have circuits that really utilize the tubes, but those were too expensive for me.
I went ahead and bought an Electro Harmonix 12AX7 tube after hearing that the behringer tubes are unreliable and sound bad, but personally I liked the stock behringer tube better than the Sovtek (behringer was softer sounding with less high gain) I could definately hear a difference, which means the tube can't be completely for show.
Overall, to my relatively untrained ear this pedal sounds great and gives me what I think is a nice tubey sound, and I'm glad I bought it since my solid state amp's OD can't compare.
6 of 11 people
(54.55%) found this review helpful. Did you?
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Sound:
First and foremost,this is a "starved plate" circuit,which means that the 12AX7B Bugera tube that comes stock with the VT999(or any other tube for that matter)is not really getting the adequate voltage to work at full capacity.The good thing about this pedal is that it is a 9volt power supply,and it will integrate easily onto your board.Some would say this is a bad thing because it needs more power.I think Behringer has a winner here,but you need to change out the stock tube because it is a high gain tube,and the signal/notes "choke out" at lower gain/volume settings(which to me is unacceptable)After trying a few different 12AX7 types I settled on the JJ ECC83,which is slightly lower gain than a normal 12AX7.This tube worked for me really well tone-wise although I now have to turn the master volume to at least 8(almost all the way up)so the VT999 can keep up with my amplifier(Bugera V55 head)I bought this pedal to be a substitute for the gain channel on this amplifier which I thought was lacking.I only use the CLEAN channel on this amp and with this pedal,and I am very pleased with the results.Yes,you could probably find a better tube overdrive pedal out there,but it wont be 9volt power,and it wont be $73.00(I bought mine last year for $57.00 so look out the price on this unit is GOING UP...)I believe this overdrive pedal will work best with amplifiers using a 6L6 tube platform running a CLEAN signal into the unit.
Feature:
This pedal is very versatile,and all the controls work.For a classic rock sound keep the gain at 2:00 and turn the midrange to about the same,with the bass at 11:00.The treble control really works too so you can adjust the brightness to compliment YOUR amplifier.To achieve a more aggressive "metal" tone,your going to have to put a compressor in front of the VT999,and turn the gain and bass up-while dialing back the midrange.This is surely enough for ME.If you are looking to achieve a "death metal" sound this pedal may not fit the bill,and there are probably better choices for you out there.The noise gate works well,but I don't use it because again the notes tend to "choke out",however if I played a heavier style of music,I probably would use it;anyway it's nice to have it there as an option.
Ease of Use:
This is where this pedal shines.It just can't get any easier than this.I did take a magic marker to it to mark all my settings I use- but hell,I do that to almost ALL my pedals.BTW,a Tube Screamer type pedal after this thing works wonders to get you that "over the top" tube saturation tone.I run my board in this order:cable from amp,tuner,delay,compressor,VT999,Tube Screamer,modulation effects,wah pedal,cable,guitar.Just FYI.
Quality:
I definitely would not beat up on this unit,because the control knobs go all the way into the pedal,right into the circuit board itself.This is not the usual pot/shaft/knob deal here;this is another Behringer "cost cutting" move that I've seen on their pedals before.The circuit board itself looks sturdy enough,and fairly simple.In fact,opening up the chassis and seeing all the room inside makes you wonder why they didn't make the VT999 smaller.??????Things that make you go "hmmmmmmm".....The unit is a steel box,and it seems very durable,just don't be stompin' on the knobs bro.On/off switch works beautiful,never had a problem with it yet.Time will tell.....
Value:
You can't touch a pedal like this for under $300.00,and it comes with a 9volt power supply and a noise gate built in.You're going to have to do some tube swapping IMHO,although I've seen some reviews where the person says the stock tube works best-not for me though.This is not the best tube overdrive you can buy,but it works for me and the price was right(and still is).For the money this is a steal.
Manufacturer Support:
I don't think Beringer services any of their products,the best you could hope for is a replacement,or warranty from who you bought it from,or send it to Keeley or some some other mad scientist to get it fixed or modded or whatever.
The Wow Factor:
Beringer products will never have "sex appeal".However,I can tell you that I'm starting to see this unit at gigs-people are using it,mostly as a substitute gain channel on a 6L6 platform.
Overall:
I'm getting a really nice guitar tone with this thing,I've tried other pedals(solid state/modeling I.E.:metal zone,crunch box,fuzz pedals,distortions)and they just don't have the harmonic "richness" of a tube powered pedal.I don't really NEED anything else right now,I'm kind of pleased with the sound I'm getting from the VT999.Go figure.
2 of 2 people
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