[sixgunsound]

How much did you purchase this item for?

Approx. $250 Cdn.

Where did you purchase this item?

Tillsonburg. My back still aches when I hear that word.

Is this item new or used?

New.

Features:

Sixteen different virtual amplifiers and cabinets that can be combined any which way (but loose - right turn, Clyde), plus sixteen different effects that can be added or subtracted (but never divided).

Construction:

Heavy plastic. Blue.

Sound:

Incredible given what it's expected to do.

Ease of Use:

Don't throw away the manual if you want to experience the entire package.


Reliability:

Hasn't died yet!

N.B. In 2006/7 it started sounding like everything I play is underwater. The unit is functional but broken for all intents and purposes.

N.B. As of 2008 the unit has loose parts rattling around inside. It is broken.

Overall:

Nine outta ten.

Experience Level:

Who me? Fourteen years at the damned thing. Recommended for: anyone poor like me.

The V-Amp 2 is a very usefull tool, as I have found out. The actual device, which is about a foot long and six inches wide, contains a thousand different pieces of equipment.

The idea? You can play through a Marshall and then flip to a Mesa Boogie Mk. II with the push of a button. In fact, there's enough amplifiers in this little guy to satisfy anyone. Not only does the processor simulate amplifiers, but cabinets as well. But wait, not only do you have the choice of sixteen amplifiers and sixteen cabinets, you get sixteen different effects which can be added to the combination of amp and cabinate. Along with treble, gain, mid, bass, volume, reverb, and a built in tuner, this pedal includes 50 preset configurations and the ability to store your own.

As for the sound, well, I've been playing the guitar since the end of George Bush's first term (that's George Herbert Walker Bush) and I love it. Sure, when I'm using the V-Amp 2 I'm not using a Marshall. Any guitarist can hear that much, but most non-guitarists wouldn't have the faintest clue. When you punch in the preset that lets you use Eric Clapton's set-up during the Cream years, you can hear it and recognize the sound. It's not foolproof, but for less than $300, you can't ask for that. Myself? I'm a student. I can barely afford Kraft Dinner. Between $20,000 buying sixteen different amps and cabs or one V-Amp, I choose the V-Amp.

[Schneibster]

Got the V-Amp Pro (basically the same thing, rack mount, a few extra buttons and so forth, but the guts are the same) and I think you haven't fooled with it enough. Can you tell the difference between it and a Marshall through headphones? Heck yeah. But go get a good cab and a nice power amp and THEN try to tell. You'll have a much more difficult time. I have an Ampeg SS140C, and I'm having a difficult time telling the difference between the JC120 emulation on the V-Amp (appropriately tweaked, of course) and my SS140; Ampeg (actually Saint Louis Music, at the time) built the SS140 to challenge the JC120 with more features at a lower price, but screwed up on quality (they blew up a lot because they had lousy wave solder, and SLM eventually stopped making them because by the time they fixed it they had a bad reputation). And I've had mine side-by-side with a JC120 and had an A-B taste test, and in the end, neither I nor the owner of the JC120 could find a sound that the JC120 could make that the SS140 couldn't; the biggest difference was the JC120 was quieter (both in terms of buzz and in terms of hiss) and presumably less prone to let the smoke out (which is always a consideration, but less so for me since I'm a techie and know enough to take it apart and reflow the solder when I see crap soldering like that). So my advice: you're not tweaking the sound enough to get it right. Go play around with it some more.

I'd post another formal review, but I've only been playing with it for about 2 months. Give me a year or so and I'll tell you what I really think.

I absolutely have to agree with you that for under $300, you can't beat it with a baseball bat. And keep in mind that if you look around, you can get it and the FC1010 foot controller together for under $300 total.

[guitarlover37]

yes

[nealmac]

How much did you purchase this item for?
€120

Where did you purchase this item?
A small music shop in Dundalk, Ireland.

Is this item new or used?
New.

Features:
32 virtual amplifiers, 16 cabinets, and 16 effects

Construction:
Blue plastic.

Sound:
Not as good as the POD but still a mighty fine resemblance to some well known amps.

Ease of Use:
Very simple although you will need to refer to the manual to figure out with each amp model represents. Obviously Behringer can't print other brand names on their units for copyright reasons. There is also a sheet of paper included telling you what famous songs the factory preset patches represent.

Reliability:
Going well for me so far.

Overall:
Probably the best bargain I ever got musicwise.

Experience Level:
5 years

The V-Amp 2 is an in valuable recording tool, as well as using on the stage, and the great thing about it is that you don't even need an amp. Just plug it straight into your computer/mixing desk and you're ready to go. With 32 amp models, 16 cabs and 16 effects you can basically copy nearly any popular musicians tone. There is also a 4 band graphic equaliser there too. Another good feature is that you can store a number of presets on it, (50 if I remeber correctly) which can be called up with the foot controler (included). As well has a headphone jack, there is also a socket which lets you plug in a MIDI device, which is great for all you one-man-bands. There are also stereo outputs (L+R) or you can just use the left one for a mono output. And it even has a chromatic tuner built in.

Overall marks, 9/10. I dock 1 point because the foot controller can only be used to call up the banks. The patch selection must be done by hand (unless you purchase an upgraded version of the footswitch, which also can be used to control your MIDI system. (I have no expeience with this).

This post has been edited by nealmac: 21 August 2006 - 10:19 AM