[Dong]

hey guys. i need ur help once again. i jst sold off my zoom and now i need a v amp. however, 6 months ago, i read on harmony central and it had horrible reviews which caused me to choose zoom over behringer. now, v amp 2 seems to have the best review of 8.8/10. wonder why?

ok, just a few questions. is the v amp2 versatile for live/recording?

does pulling the cord in and out to off the thing cause the adapter to wear out?

and hw does this compare to the v amp pro and x v amp.

also, is there any way i can get a footswitch to control individual effects and also the wah wah?

thanks so much. u dont know how much u have helped me.:sap: :sap: :dance: :afro:

 

[mcnach]

Not sure why the ratings would have changed... I have had a V-Amp2 for quite some time now, and I also had a Boss GX700, a J-Station, and a Vox ToneLab. Of those, I only kept the V-Amp2. All the other units were good, some very good (the Boss is amazing for FX!) but in the end the V-Amp is the one I prefer, for sounds and ease of use. But other people prefer other units... only you can decide! However, for what it's worth, I am a big fan of the V-Amp2. You do have to spend some time with it to really get the best out of it. I'd say "ditch the presets" and just make your own sounds. I tend to stick to a handful of amp simulations only, with just some reverb and some compression, that's all. The FX are decent, BUT you really must edit them from a computer with the free editor from Behringer, as you just cannot access many parameters directly on the machine.

I have never used it live, but I know people who do/did. One thing: there is a *noticeable* delay when switching patches *IF* both patches use a different amp simulation. However, using the same amp model, the switch is smooth. As long as you are aware of this you can make your own presets to suit, and can use it live without problems.

The V-Amp Pro has digital outs and other things, read on the Behringer site for the whole specs. Soundwise it is the same. I have no experience of the X one.

You can control wah/FX separately using a midi pedalboard. If you use the V-Amp live I think a midi pedalboard is essential, as the provided footswitch only goes up/down between patches. Behringer make the FCB1010 which is cheap and truly amazing, with 2 expression pedals and 10 footswitches (and it will also switch channels on your non-midi amp!)... these two work very well together.

Wearing out of the connector? :scratch: Not sure why you think it's an issue. I haven't had problems with connectors wearing out (getting dirty, that's another matter). In any case, they're easily fixed, but I doubt you'll have a problem. Or at least a problem that you won't also have with any other unit.

The V-Amp is a great unit, in my opinion... but as with all these magic boxes that do 1000 things... you need to spend some time fiddling with it to truly get the most outof it. Having said that, it is damn easy to use, and the leds around the knobs to indicate the position of each knob is pure genius. That alone is enough for the V-Amp to score very highly in my opinion. Use a POD or J-Station or ToneLab without those, and you'll quickly see what I mean.

 

[Dong]

oh, i thanked myself?i wanted to thank u for the info. haha.

by the way, is the v amp 2 durable? cos i heard that after half a yaer the knobs come loose and the input gets noisy.

 

[mcnach]

oh, i thanked myself?i wanted to thank u for the info. haha.

by the way, is the v amp 2 durable? cos i heard that after half a yaer the knobs come loose and the input gets noisy.

we should be nice to ourselves, but thanking yourself is going a bit far, I think... :grin:

durable? heh... well, I don't think it's built to last a lifetime, that's for sure. But I don't see how the knobs will come off or anything like that, unless you are rather brutal with it. I've had mine for over 2 years now I think... or maybe closer to three, I don't know... it still works like the first day. If it died on me, I would simply buy another, to be honest. It's cheap!!!

Another thing to keep in mind: the V-Amp has an internal battery. It doesn't say so anywhere in the manual, but one day you'll find your presets have been wiped out and it sounds crap... Then, if you're lucky, somebody will tell you about the internal battery before you throw the V-Amp away. It cost me about £1.50 I think, and it's easily replaced... it lasts a long time, but it's a good idea to save your favourite patches, as sooner or later the battery will die.

 

[Dong]

well. if the battery dies. does it mean my patches will be gone forever or at least till i change the batts. if so, where can i save my patches and how long does a batt last?

 

[mcnach]

well. if the battery dies. does it mean my patches will be gone forever or at least till i change the batts. if so, where can i save my patches and how long does a batt last?

not *if* but *when* your battery dies, the patches are gone.

I am not sure if the patches will stay if you replace the battery before it dies. I have a Boss DR550 drum machine that uses batteries to keep the memory alive, even if using an external power supply. You can change the batteries there without losing any data, providing you replace them fast. It's designed so that the data remains for a little while after the batteries are removed. But I don't know if the V-Amp does the same.

However, you can save all the patches you want to your computer, and since you are using one to access this forum, that shouldn't be a problem, I guess?
All it'll mean is to get a midi cable (not the cheapest, but not expensive either) and the free editor software from Behringer's website. I have my V-Amp connected to my joystick port (running WinXP) and it works fine.
The software allows you to save and name all the patches that you like, and download/upload from/to the V-Amp. In addition, it provides a very nice interface to have direct access to all the parameters of the different amps, speakers, and all of the FX. I didn't like the FX much until I started editing them from the computer, which allows you much better control of each effect.

 

[El_jalepeno]

Use the midi interface and save your patches on your computer, change the battery and get back to recording!

 

[mcnach]

oh, I forgot, the battery lasts quite a while, depending on how much you use the V-Amp I suppose. The first one (already on the V-Amp when I bought it) lasted over a year and I am not sure how long it was there before I bought it. Then I replaced the battery once and it's still going... that's another year an a half or thereabouts...

The battery is one of these flat ones you find often in computer motherboards, a CR2032. Very easily and quicly replaceable (although you do have to open the V-Amp, just a few screws).

 

[Dong]

midi cable... hmm. i dont seem to have a midi port on my laptop.

 

[Dong]

and by the way, mcnach, did u lose patches while changing batteries? cos i am on a tight budget and probabaly cant get the midi cable after getting the v amp. so i;ll prolly be using the line out for recording for a while.

 

[dachrist]

You don't need a MIDI input on your computer, just get one of those MIDI to USB cablels for it.

 

[djicestorm24]

Re: V-amp

I have a Vamp 2 and I absolutly love it. I baught me a midiman uno mido to usb.
you can find them at musicians friend or also on ebay.

 

[Scott Parnell]

I have had my V amp2 for over year now,, and it stil rocks!! I love the dam thing.. I have a zoom 505 II,, a Korg ax1g,, a digitech processor,, and a pod 2.0. I like em all,, but the v amp2 is very versatile. as for patches,, its a no brainer to just write down a certain few that you will mostly use. It's excellent for recording. most of my posts on here is v amp2. I just recently purchased another v amp 2 to keep around since I love it so much. i persoinally think that the Eq in the v amp 2 is beter than pod. I like pod though asw ell for some things.you truly can't go wrong for line 6 or behringer gear my friend. for 99 dollars,, the v amp2 is well worth it and i wont steer ya wrong. It doesnt run on bateries. it does have an internal battery like a watch abrttery that is so easy to access to. the unit has 5 screws on back side and if ya take em off,, the unit comes apart so easy to replace. I have had mine for goin close to 2 years now i'd say,, and I have yet to have to replace that little watch battery. as for the power adapter cord,, i unplug mine every day,, and it still has no signs of wear or tear. if you dont wanna unplug all the time,, buy a cheap 5 plug box for a few dollars. i only bought another one due to the fact that tghis is one of the best units i have seen in my 20 yrs of playing guitar that gives you alot for your money. thats just my opinion. but i wouldnt lie to ya either.

 

[Scott Parnell]

word of advice if you buy one of these..... when you plug the unit in and all,, plug the cord to unit first,, the cord to wall outlet. not other way around.

 

[mcnach]

Midi cable and laptop... If you use a laptop you will probably have to use a USB midi interface. A number of them have been suggested in other threads, and they cost about $20-40 I think.

I don't know if anything will be lost while changing batteries, because my V-Amp had been wiped out already. As soon as I replaced the battery I restored the V-Amp to the factory presets (not sure why!) and that was it. However, you will probably be okay for a long time with the battery you already have. If you're not sure and you just got the V-Amp, why don't you replace the battery now? That way you are pretty sure you have *at least* 18-24 months before you have to worry about it. It's only like $1-2 I'd guess.

You don't need the midi at all to use the V-Amp and to record stuff. The midi connection is only used to change patches etc from a midi controller, or for the management of patches using the V-Amp software. I have a 5 metre midi cable which cost me something like $15, I think.

If your budget is a problem (and who hasn't been there???) I'd simply change the battery now, for peace of mind. But I would plan to get the midi cable and the interface within a year or so, so that you can really get the most of your V-Amp and store your presets.

 

[mcnach]

word of advice if you buy one of these..... when you plug the unit in and all,, plug the cord to unit first,, the cord to wall outlet. not other way around.

It seems silly to me that the V-Amp does not have a power switch... :scratch:
I have one of these strips with several mains sockets, each of them with a switch, and the strip itself is plugged into a socket in my room. The V-Amp is permanently connected into one of the sockets on the strip, and use the switch there to power on/off.

 

[Dong]

ooo. ok. thanks for all the advice guys. i nearly bought one today. for 190SGD. however, i was at work and when i knocked off. the guy sold it. damn. haha. guess i will look for it this weekend. anyone have experience with the FCB100??

 

[mcnach]

ooo. ok. thanks for all the advice guys. i nearly bought one today. for 190SGD. however, i was at work and when i knocked off. the guy sold it. damn. haha. guess i will look for it this weekend. anyone have experience with the FCB100??

NO experience with the FCB1010. I had one, but sold it after not much use. I just didn't need it. However I can tell you there's a very useful Yahoo forum on the FCB1010, I don't have the link anymore but it shouldn't be hard to find. You'll get all the info you need there, including stuff that is not in the manual.
Also, uk.music.guitar is a friendly newsgroup where lots of the regulars use FCB1010s, you can ask there too.

 

[Dong]

ok. thanks so much man

 

[slim pickins]

Vamp2

I also owned the Vamp2 for two years. It never did crap out. What is very unique about the VAMP is that if you switch to lead sound and need a bit of boost or mids, just twist the knob for instantaneous action. No hesitation. I did record with it at a studio. It had a bit of noise, but tweaking the NG quickly brought this beast under submission! The trade off was however, a bit of dynamic range lost to get quieter.
The only gripe Ihad with the VAMP live, is that well, it just didn't sound as "real" as my Rocktron stuff.(only about $600 in price difference).
The pros however was that the Vamp could be manipulated quickly to dial in a tight, bluesy sound, the switch to patch bank B2 for some over the top VH assult tones.
Behringer makes good stuff, but singularly what they did for guitarist was challenge the guitar processor manufacturers, that great quality tones could be made for under $100 bucks! Take for instance Digitech's artist series pedals(Clapton, Scott Ian, Hendrix wah etc.) They actually made those two years ago and was going to retail them for $399. Who in their right mind was gonna spend $400 on one pedal that was all very similiar in tones?
They (digitech) thought their crap didn't stink, but little by little Behringer was burying Digitech, Boss, and all of em, by making a great POD style processor for pocket change.
I own the Behringer cabinet(4x12) and it's everybit as good as Marshalls for 1/3 of the price. I also own Behringers little UB series mixers to mix in my drums bass and keys for live performances in smaller clubs and it works great!
Regardless of misguided perspectives by some processors manufacturers, we working musicians can't always lay down $1000 for a amp modeler/processor. What we do want is great tone at a realistic price. Behringers philosophy is "sell 1,000,000 units for $99 vs. 50,000 at $399-499 by other mfrs.
You can't beat the Behringer if you really want a working class modeler on a gigging musicians budget.