Behringer V-Tone Bass BDI21

First of all keep in mind that this behringer unit of the SansAmp unit is not a overdrive pedal concept. It is a tube emulator so those guys that are trying to bash the pedal because "the drive knob doesn't work well", didn't read or understand the concept of a bass driver pedal (tech 21 or Behringer BDI21). I play bass three times per week. Play in a local church but play for a rock band too. I play bass since 2000 and have several basses and other stuff. From 2003, the Tech 21 SansAmp bass driver was my main trick to my sound. For whatever reason, I decided to sold it to try something different but every stuff I tried doesn't give me that warm like Geddy Lee sound that I loved. I see this Behringer in a local store and immediately noted that is a copy of my loved Sans Amp bass driver so, for $30 I decide to take the risk. What a surprise. It is almost identically. I my opinion sounds a little bit better because has a little more midrange so I find it that it add less color to my sound than the Sans Amp so it's a little bit easier to find a clean sound. Yes, it is plastic, but I take care of my stuff so this is not a problem. This unit or the Tech 21 are excellent for passive basses. I can't play my jazz bass without this thing. It simply add punch to my bass and that warm sound that I really love to play rock. The other difference that I find with this and the Sans Amp is that the Sans Amp has a little more output than this but I just add more volume and bingo. The bass driver pedals add a little color to your sound so even when it has a "clean sound setting" it's a little hard to find a super clean sound so If you love a super clean sound, maybe this or the sansamp are not the pedal for you. Remember that this is a tube emulator. If you love a little warm sound (especially to play rock) you will love this unit.

It's analog. The difference is important compared to digital modelers (see below). Editing is made with markers on paper (not bad with 3B). 100% bug-free. Drive, treble, bass, presence, blend (direct sound and pedal mix), volume. Battery or PSU operation. Battery operation is disastrous, you'd better go with a PSU (a sturdy one).

USE

Before kindergarten there's the BD121.

SOUND QUALITY

Okay, there's the matter of the power supply. Don't expect a decent sound with a 9V battery. The amperage is too low, sound has no dynamics and it's lifeless. You need to use 9 V 0.5 A minimum or even more. And then it transforms and it delivers bass and treble, and even mids, with a very good output level. It sounds very big with the blend all the way up, with fat lows that need to be tamed and excellent dynamics, even too dynamic. Even my 8040s have a hard time with it. I tested it with an Epiphone Viola, passive bass with two humbuckers, a Studiomaster P7 console and a TwinQ. It's useful to connect it to a ballsy setup that can take anything. The drive is really nice, the Viola makes it sing, even at full blast. The difference with digital modelers is that the dynamic response and timbre of an instrument are well-respected. There's no comparison. With a tube compressor inserted (Fatman), I don't need anything else. The sound is solid as an egg, punchy, powerful, rich in harmonics.

OVERALL OPINION

If you made a blind test with more prestigious models, I think more than one would be surprised. On the other hand, the V-amp modeling from the same manufacturer has no soul, no life, no musicality.
The cons:
- Unusable with a 9V battery
- You need to connect it to a ballsy setup that can handle it and doesn't alter what comes out (console, preamp...), disappointing with a Berhinger console.
- Awful look,
- Behringer is behind it - We'll see how it turns out in terms of reliability...
- Obscene price

The pros:

- Fat sound if used with a high amperage PSU
- Nice drive
- Definitive and maybe even pro takes are possible
- The sound adapts well to any effects, especially dynamics processors
Edit from April 8, 2010

I decided to order the Sans amp VT bass.
Here are my impressions, compared to the BD 121:

- With clean sounds, the VT bass has a wider sound, fuller, it's more precise, too, but there's not a big difference compared to the Behringer. The VT bass has more gain and a better signal-to-noise ratio, too.
- It surprised me most when increasing the drive. To my ears, the BD121 takes the lead with a more reedy, more musical crunch and overdrive, and it handles harmonics better. The VT bass remains rough with the "character" control, which emphasizes the mids and high mids with a striking overall tone.
With distortion, the VT bass has a more modern sound, even if you can reduce that coloring with the controls. The Behringer is more vintage.
Bottom line:
For clean sounds, jazz, blues, rock, the VT bass is the way to go.
For crunch/overdrive, I choose the BD121

Tube amp simulator with DI output.
I give it a 10 because it allows me to program sounds (like the VT Bass Deluxe). Given the price, I'm going too far, I know!!!

USE

It's really easy to dial in, to be honest:
- A presence control ("brilliance," an enhancer)
- A drive control to dirty up the sound
- A bass control
- A treble control
- A level (volume) control
- A blend control (tube simulation rate)

The manual provides well thought-out presets.

I give it 8 because it doesn't have any mids controls, like the Sansamp Bass Driver it's a copy of.

SOUND QUALITY

The AF samples are excellent to get an idea.
I love its sound quality, it adds warmth to the sound and you can find whatever you want. I used it for reggae and slap and it's awesome.
No noise and many, many possibilities.
I got rid of it because I got a tube preamp but I sometimes miss this small magic box if only because of the ease with which I could get a killer slap sound.
I must say that I didn't compare it to the Sansamp but my opinion on certain Behringer pedals (the most recent ones) is that they are (almost) as good as the originals at a ludicrous price. The BOD400, apart from a slight difference in gain, is almost the same as the ODB-3 and the TO800 sounds like an Ibanez TS808 (although I must admit that I didn't compare these last two with the same instrument).
The only thing you can criticize it for is a lousy switch. But the BDI21 isn't conceived like the others and doesn't have a shitty switch (even if it wouldn't dare jump on it too vigorously!!!). The buttons are a bit loose, but nothing to worry about.

OVERALL OPINION

Test passed, considering the price.
If this pedal was sold for 100 bucks by a more renown brand, I'm sure many (including me!) would fall into the trap.
If you have an average amp, go for it.

(Originally written by bapt dj debutant/translated from Audiofanzine FR)


WARNING: the overdrive doesn't work at all. After just three weeks it started to generate strange and annoying noises when you turned the control beyond the first quarter.

UPDATE: the noise disappeared again. It could have been my mistake. -_-'

Very fragile controls. High battery consumption (5-hour battery operation)...

UTILIZATION

Beginners beware, the user's manual is clear but it doesn't explain all functions. The setting examples are very useful (slap, reggae, etc.)

SOUND QUALITY

The effects sound ok but the overdrive is not intense enough.

OVERALL OPINION

It's my first DI box... I know it was cheap but...

WARNING: the overdrive doesn't work at all. After just three weeks it started to generate strange and annoying noises when you turned the control beyond the first quarter.

UPDATE: the noise disappeared again. It could have been my mistake. -_-'

And the controls are VERY easily breakable! Handle them with care. I don't think I'll use this DI box anymore.

Once again, it's ok... for beginners! Don't forget to buy the external PSU because its battery life is very short...