Behringer TO800 Vintage Tube Overdrive

[marnold]

I found a place nearby that carries the complete line of Behringer stomp boxes. The two that I really wanted to try were the TO800 Vintage Tube Overdrive (Tubescreamer clone) and the HB01 Hellbabe Wah. The only one they were sold out of was the wah. I asked how those pedals have been selling. The owner said they were selling very well (their Boss pedals aren't moving as well anymore) and none have been returned. They didn't have any of them out to test so I took a chance on the TO800. It was only $29 and she said I could return it if I didn't like it.

This is not an in-depth review, just my initial impressions. The pedal is a similar vomit-green color to the Ibanez original. I was looking for something to give me a bit more oompf (technical term) with the UK70s model (using the default preset for that amp type) on my AD30VT. In my few minutes of playing, it seems to deliver what I'm looking for. It drives the amp harder, but with a smooth distortion.

My only gripe is the way you have to put in the battery. You have to push in the plastic hinges to remove the pedal switch itself. I don't think it would deal with a jillion battery changes too well. However, if you are going to use it a lot, you should get an adaptor anyway. It is built well, but it probably wouldn't survive the beatings that many original Tubescreamers have endured. But for me that's not an issue. Plus I could buy three of these before I'd get to the cost of a TS-9 and four before I'd approach a TS-808.

More details to follow as I have a chance to try it out more. In the meantime, there's a pretty good review (http://www.soundonsound.com/forum/showflat.php?session=86505d8e6c39805306cede26cd66c b6c&Cat=&Number=221049&Main=207733) that you can check out.

[Spudman]

Marnold
Music 123 has most of the Behringer pedal line for $19.95 each. FYI

[marnold]

Marnold
Music 123 has most of the Behringer pedal line for $19.95 each. FYI
Thanks. However, they don't have the TO800. That one actually has a slightly higher MSRP than the rest of the line ($34.99 instead of $29.99). It probably still would be cheaper at Music 123 (assuming that they would eventually get it in stock) but it's always nice to support your local music store (within reason). Since I didn't know if I was going to like it, I wanted to make sure I was going to be able to return it quickly and easily. Plus I could take it right home and immediately start playing with it :)

[warren0728]

My only gripe is the way you have to put in the battery. You have to push in the plastic hinges to remove the pedal switch itself. I don't think it would deal with a jillion battery changes too well.
i agree....i have one behringer pedal and battery changing is a PITA. I thought i was going to break it the first time i tried.

ww

[marnold]

Here's an update after a little more messing with the pedal. The short version is: I like it--at least with certain amp models on my AD30VT. It doesn't seem to affect the Tweed 4x10 as much (the effect is noticable, but not as much as with other models) or the very high gain models for that matter. My main testing has been with the UK70 model which I love but always felt it could use some more "oomph". This pedal provides the oomph. (Note: for these tests I used the UK70s preset without any effects). I set the drive and tone knobs on the pedal to noon and the level to max. Without the pedal, you get that nice classic rock sound. With the pedal, it becomes a high gain monster. I whipped through the opening riff of Dokken's "In My Dreams" and a goofy smile crossed my face. That was "It." Pinch harmonics seemed to scream and just jump from my fingertips. Yes, dear readers, I now get screaming solos.

(Note: for these tests I used the Boutique CL preset without any effects). This time, I turned to the Boutique CL. Without the pedal, you get that nice full clean sound that's perfect for almost everything, especially surf (with reverb enabled, natch). Kick in the pedal with the above settings and you get a nice, warm, fuzzy blues tone that makes you want to play very loud. It's quite ZZ-Top-esque actually.

Since I haven't had it very long, I have no idea what the reliability is going to be like. I don't have another OD pedal to test it against, but I'm going to try to find out. However, if the link I posted above is any indication, it does a pretty good TS-808 imitation at a fraction of the price. If I were a gigging musician, I probably would be concerned about the Behringer's construction. Since my pedal rarely moves at all from the side of my amp, there's little chance of destruction. I'll definitely get an adaptor for it so I won't have to tempt fate changing the battery.

The Behringer pedals seem to be great for those of us in "the quest for inexpensive tone" (tm, r_a_smith). It seems like a Bad Monkey might have better construction, but it's also more expensive. Of course, at these prices, you could buy one of each and still not come close to the price of a TS-9, to say nothing of a TS-808.

Updates will follow as situations warrant :)

[marnold]

[Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I thought an update would be helpful.]

Well, about five months have passed now. The good news is that I still love this pedal. I found even more reason to love it recently. I've been playing my Charvel using the neck single-coil quite a bit recently. It's muddier than I would like, but it gives that single-coil vibe. The TO800 works really slick with that pickup. With the drive at minimum and the level cranked, it gives a nice clean boost. I've begun to experiment with the drive at various levels. You can get some really nice bluesy tones.

So even almost half a year later, I still like this pedal a lot. I use it almost every time I play (which, admittedly, isn't as much as I would like), but I still haven't replaced that battery.