SeriesBehringer Ultrabass

This is the Ultrabass BX4500H bass head by Behringer. Price point you are probably thinking 'Wow this is great' In this case 'Buy nice or buy twice' rings true. I must say Behringer has an excellent customer service department, but I would suggest saving a little extra to buy a better amp. My predicament was, let a nice bass amp sit in my car for 8 hours in the city while I work and lug it up and down steps by chance it doesn't get stolen from my car or buy a cheaper rig and leave it at my practice space. That is why I ordered the Behringer. $250. It offers you plenty of options in the preamp. The knobs are: Gain, Ultra Bass, Bass, Mid, Treble, Contour, Shape, Output and the front mounted DI out. The sound was never call your friends over good, but I was able to cut over a 4-piece rock group. The clip meter on the front is just about useless. Mine never really worked right, but hey who cares. Within 90 days of owning the thing it overheated just from normal use. I wasn't really maxing it either. I ran the gain at 3 o'clock hoping to get a little grit and then my output was around 10 o'clock. It was mounted in a carpeted box. Weight was reasonable. Every company lets a few duds out of the factory and maybe that was what mine was. I called customer support when mine over heated and they set me up with a new amp in a timely fashion. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought this from Musicians Friend for $160, but it had free shipping which saved me about $33. This thing is LOUD. For being only 60 watts RMS, I was REALLY surprised at how much this thing can put out. I play it at volume 4 (otherwise my parents complain)but it handles my 5 string very well. I really like the Shape feature, too. It adds a sort of compressor sound to it, and it can go from very punchy, treble punk style to really bassy and full. This thing shakes my house, too. I'd recommend it to anyone. I play a 5 string, and at higher volumes, it kind of lets up on the very low frequencies, for example: if I've got the shape on 10 (out of 12), it'll give me a very solid bass sound. It's awesome on the top 4 strings, but if you play the 5th (low B)open, it's not at the same decibel level as the others, if that makes sense. I'm not sure if this is normal with a 5 string, but that's how it is. Also, if you have the shape up past 10, you lose your treble a good bit, but if you like a lot of bass sound, and like to feel it, not hear it, this is your amp. The construction is pretty nice. This is a hefty sucker. When I got it, I didn't expect it to be as heavy as it is. The speaker can handle a good bit (it's rated at 100W RMS) so don't worry about it blowing out or anything. The Tolex covering (or whatever it is) is nice, too. The circuits seem to be well-made, too. The whole thing doesn't overheat, which I've had trouble with in the past (Ampeg 2x10). Very well made. This amp, for the price, is AWESOME. It's loud, sturdy, flexible, and portable. If you're looking for a small gig amp that won't let you down, this is the one for you. Compared to my friend's Carvin 8x10 stack, it's not loud or anything, but that's hardly fair to compare it to a stack. I'd say that if you put this next to an SWR LA-15, this thing would kick its ASS. The LA-15 has only got the wattage on it, which this baby can easy catch up to. Overall, this is a very well-made amp that I'm gonna be hanging onto. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

This amp is a 120watt solid state bass combo amplifier with a 10 inch speaker. Most of the connections are through 1/4 inch jacks. There is three bands of EQ, a volume knob, headphone out, and an auxiliary input for connecting anything else you may have that you want to be played through it but I don’t recommend it though. Stick with the bass through this thing. UTILIZATION It's very easy to dial up a variety of good tones using the EQ settings. I never had to crack open the manual, it's pretty much plug in and go. SOUNDS A nice low end can be produced by this amplifier, or with different EQ settings, a nice mid tone can be used to cut right through. The amplifier doesn't go very loud, so it would be hard to use this next to drums, but it has more than enough power to teach lessons or to use in a bedroom. OVERALL OPINION This is a good amp, but I feel like Beheringer bass equipment tends to be overpriced due to the name. This amplifier isn't large enough or powerful enough to really use with a band unless it were miked. There isn't a direct out, so it would be hard to use it onstage. Still, this amplifier produces a nice, solid tone and would be very well suited to using it for bass lessons due to its compact size, RCA ins, and dual inputs. Effects would be a nice feature for this purpose, but aren't entirely necessary. If I could only add one additional feature to make it more useful it would be to have a direct out, so that the tone would be consistent instead of placing a direct box in between the bass and the amplifier. All in all its decent but there are many other amps on the market that can provide a better sound than this one at a better price.

This is Behringer's better bass combo amp. 300 watts pumps into the Bugera series speaker. This amp can tilt back to give you more control over where your sound is headed. The knobs are L-R: Gain 1 Gain 2, Shape, Level, 7-band EQ, a compressor, Ultrabass knob, headphone out and power. I was in dire need of an amp, low on funds and out of town. That is what led me to the Behringer, a name I am not normally fond of. $225 was the price. I played it for a gig, about a week or so of practice then returned it. I was not completely unsatisfied. It got me through the gig! I felt I couldn't dial in 'my sound' It was lacking somewhere in the upper mid section, but hey it worked. It is portable. The compressor is more user friendly than some. The Ultrabass is kind of useless. It will muddy up your sound. Other note worthy features: DI out, Effects Loop and a MP3 player input. I feared the reliability of it and that is why I returned it. Word on the street is Behringer has a very generous return policy if your product fails. The amp worked great for the week and half I owned it, but once again people describe these as ticking time bombs. Sorry I can't really comment much more on it's quality. It worked well for the short time I had it. A user and budget friendly amplifier. If you can afford a better amp I would, but the Behringer will get the job done as long as it is taken care of. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

male,46,playing in a pub/top 40 rock band(pays the bills)for 3yrs.love blues prog/rock metal as well as jazz,classical,folk.play guitar but play bass in the band.been playing since i was about 10,some classical guitar training but best lesson was throwing on a record and jamming with it. had a peavey tko 115 that was getting death rattles and was heavy to move.attracted to the behringer because of price,compact size and also own several of their products.ordered at local music shop paid $500. I liked the compact size,wedge shape(helps me moniter myself better due to some industrial deafness)and features.DI output is handy to run into mixing desk for bigger gigs for broader sound.we have a drummer who is hell bent on bashing thu to china but i have only have to push the volume to just over half, master about 4. built like a brick and has been knocked around for about 2 years on the road. handles nearly broken and is awkward to lift.at first i dissapointed with the tone,it sounded honky.i have yamaha rb and olp 5 string which had the same strings(wyres)changed to daddario 1/2 rounds(expensive).what a change!bigger,meatier!ultra bass is a bit useless.i tried it when the guitarist was soloing.result:muddy,confusing.compressor also needs to be needs to be tweaked but 3 or 4 songs into the gig i am usually right. as mentioned above built like a brick but controls feel cheap.after 2 years of 4 gigs a month plus travelling 2 practice it still looks new.its had a drink of cascade draught at a gig and still kept going(unlike my mixing desk) the BXL1800 is good for small gigs and practice.we supported the angels once and it performed great running into the desk through the (large)p.a.due to its small speaker and size the sound is not as big as large cabinets but its power is good.i am sure the honky sound was due to the strings.good features apart from ultrabass.good value for money.fix the handle. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I'm a bass guitarist and have been for 17 years or so. I sing a bit as well, and dabble in rhythm guitar occasionally. I play in a classic rock band, Sore Point, who gig fairly regularly in the local area and are well regarded on the circuit. My heroes are John Deacon (Queen), Pete Trewavas (Marillion), Steve Harris (Iron Maiden), Geddy Lee (Rush) and I tend to listen to good rock music from the 70s onwards About £300 new from www.dolphinmusic.co.uk Rather than put my BX1200 through the band PA and carry huge bass bins everywhere, I wanted something that would serve as backline and FOH sound at the same time. For a 450w combo, this was at the cheaper end of the market (always a bonus!) and, as with the BX1200, offered a lot for the money. The controls are pretty intuitive, passive/active inputs with a cool 'vintage' meter for gain adjustment, 5-band rotary controls for EQ, 'Shape' control for a 2nd channel for solos, change of sound etc, 'Ultrabass' octaver control, master volume... There is a post-EQ DI output on the front, ideal for providing a sound engineer with your bass sound, not his, plus FX send/return . The back of the amp is also simple and straightforward, with two 1/4" jack outputs and a single speakon connection, kettle-lead power socket and on/off switch. This is pretty much a bigger version of what I was already using and there was no real need to fiddle about to get the sound I wanted. There are 'bright' and 'deep' switches on the front of the amp, I tend not to use these and rely on the EQ. A footswitch is included for the 'Shape' and 'Ultrabass' options so switching between or during songs is made easy, with a light on the amp to indicate when either function is 'in'. Another selling point for me was the spec on the speakers - 2x10" aluminium coned drivers plus a tweeter. I have a fair amount of attack in my sound so this sounded ideal - but more on this later! For me it was a nice compromise between size, output, cost and familiarity - I was never going to pick up a Trace Elliot at this price and it seemed an ideal 'big brother' to my BX1200. It's plenty loud enough to use un-miked or DI'd in most of the venues I play, and in fact rarely gets pushed over about 60%. Nice to have that headroom though. The sound is clear and never comes close to breaking up. This amounts to a love/hate thing. The amp itself is great - it's available as a head by itself and I wish I'd gone down that route in retrospect. The 'cab' part has caused me a lot of grief and it took me a while to work out why. Initially I found the aluminium speaker cones a little harsh, but some EQing seemed to sort matters out. I then found that the left-hand cone had parted from the fabric surround, possibly due to a small dent in the cone. I was send a replacement by Dolphin and, prior to fitting it, ran a line of superglue around the join, just to be on the safe side. Having used the amp a few more times, the replacement cone shattered around the edges. I decided that the drivers weren't up to scratch and replaced them with Eminence Gammas. To my surprise, when I rewired the unit, one of the outputs had been driving both 10" speakers in series with the other output direct to the tweeter. The driver that blew was the first in line. I've since rewired both speakers and taken the tweeter out of the circuit altogether. I was not impressed... There is no crossover between the bass drivers and the tweeter anyway, so quite what was meant to be happening in there I really don't know. The other minor quibble is that the unit is unbalanced when lifting, especially when there are 2 of you lifting it. The unit itself is rugged and well built. It's heavy, but that's to be expected. It has handles on either side and a set of wheels at one end. I'm convinced the amp is a little bigger than advertised but still not outrageously huge. I can lift it myself as long as I'm not carrying it too far, and it fits in the car easily enough. There is the usual grille across the front and the controls are recessed far enough back not to get knocked about. Access to the front and rear of the amp is easy enough and when playing, anything you may need to adjust is on the front and readily accessible. The footswitch is also a rugged thing, nice to have it included rather than an additional extra. As for the rest of it - a large, carpet-covered chipboard box! Nothing else to say! Now I've fiddled with it, I'm happy with this amp and will continue to use it. It was a logical step up from the BX1200 and as far as the amp itself goes, I'm more than happy. The big disappointment has obviously been with the speakers. Incorrect wiring left me putting 225w through two 10" drivers in series and the other 225w through a tweeter(!). Since the warranty had expired by the time I realised what had happened, I had to spend more money on a pair of high quality drivers and get the soldering iron out to correct the error. Correctly wired I suspect I would have had no problems whatsoever with this amp and still be using it with stock parts. Unfortunately this has shaken my faith in the usually reliable Behringer and, while I would be happy to recommend the 450w head, I'd steer clear of the combo option and buy a seperate cab if I were you. I've scored it as a 3 overall because I now have what I wanted. Pity I had to change so much to get it... This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought this amp from zzounds.com for $200 Its a nice unit for the money. Decent power and sound. Seems to be well built, relatively powerful, operates well- it even came with the footswitch included. The meter on the front is a nice tool to have in cleaining up your sound. There is a bit of a hum throught the DI output which seems like it might be poor grounding of the XLR jack. But it is not too bad at regular playing levels. Recording through the output would produce unacceptable results. The quality seems very good- very solidly built. Again the only critism is the DI Output hum. This is a great amp for the money. I haven't had any regrets about buying it. Saving all of the money on my amp allowed me to get a great cabinet which blows any comparably priced combo out of the water. Value-wise his is a no-brainer. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Purchased from 8thStreet music online for $99.99 US,$240.00 CDN with UPS and duties Theres nothing I don't like about this amp.Definetly loud and clear for a small 10"speaker.The sound shape feature definetly allows you to dial in an extreme range of sounds.I play An SX 75 jazz copy with the stock offshore electronics and the sound is incredibly clear and punchy. Can't find anything wrong with this unit. solidly built,light and nicely finished off This Amp definetly allows you to dial in a vast range of sounds.Crank it up and the Dynamizer feature keeps it loud and clear.I compared it with a Fender 25 bassman and a frontman 15 and they lost! This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com