Are Behringer Pedals Any Good? Read This Before You Buy

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Many years ago, Behringer added the production of guitar effects pedals to its long list of products by imitating (cloning) some of the most popular and successful guitar effect pedals available today.

These pedals have received mixed reactions from their users. Many swear by how great they sound, while others simply refer to them as cheap. These reactions and reviews have led many to ask, “Are Behringer pedals any good?” 

Behringer pedals sound decent and they are able to mimic the sound of the pedals they clone quite well. If you’re looking for great-sounding pedals at a much lower price, then you can consider them. However, they are not reliable and can easily break because they have a poor build quality

Before we even think about how it sounds, I think it’s important to first discuss why these pedals are incredibly cheap. After that, we’ll talk about how they actually sound, which I think many people are here for.

I’ll then follow it up by answering some of the most popular questions people ask about the Behringer Pedals. Let’s dive right in

Why are Behringer Pedals So Cheap?

According to Statista, the average price of guitar effects pedals is around 90 dollars. With the cost of some high-end guitar effects pedals running into thousands of dollars, why are Behringer pedals so cheap?

Behringer is a big brand under a corporation called Music Tribe. Some other well-known brands under Music Tribe are Midas, TC Electronics, and Turbosound.

Music Tribe has its own factory in China known as Music Tribe City, sometimes called Behringer City. This is a huge factory with many facilities, resources, and employees, including a salesforce worldwide. 

For this reason, Behringer is able to mass-produce this guitar effect pedals at a much lower price. Also, because their factory is in China, the labor cost for making these effect pedals is quite low compared to pedals made in the Americas or Europe.

Some of the well-known guitar effect pedal manufacturers even buy their parts from Behringer.

In essence, they have the resources to produce guitar pedals at a much lower price, unlike many small and medium-sized guitar pedal companies. That is one reason.

Another reason why Behringer pedals are cheap is because of their build quality. As you may already know, most guitar pedals out there are made of metals, which makes them more robust. Behringer pedals are made of cheap plastic material. 

Behringer effects pedals are encased in a thin plastic casing. That makes them relatively inferior in terms of material quality to other effects pedal brands that are made of metal. These are the two main reasons why Behringer pedals are so cheap. 

How Do They Sound

Obviously, how a guitar pedal sounds are one of the major factors to look out for when acquiring one. With Behringer Pedals, the older models did not sound very good, but that is a thing of the past. The quality of sounds produced by newer models deserves all the hype.

Although some Behringer pedal users have complained about a few of their pedals being a little noisy, these complaints are outliers. The sounds they produce are clear and articulate. And you’ll not be disappointed by the tone they produce.

So, regardless of the lower prices of Behringer pedals, most of them sound decent. You might actually find it difficult to differentiate between the tone they produce compared to that of the original pedals they are cloned after unless you are an audiophile.

Here is a video of JHS Pedals doing a pedal shootout of Behringer’s pedals against its clones. Trust me; you’ll be blown away.

What is the Build Quality of Behringer Pedals?

Honestly, the build quality of Behringer pedals isn’t great. Unlike many pedals that have a metal casing that makes them durable and long-lasting, this is not the case for Behringer pedals.

All Behringer pedals come with a thin plastic casing. Behringer went for plastic casings for their pedals to save production costs and this accounts for the reason why these pedals are so cheap, as I mentioned earlier.

The plastic casing on these pedals is easy to break especially if you step on them more often. When you’re using them on a live gig, you may unintentionally step on them too hard and they may break right in the middle of the show.

Also, the 1/4″ jack on Behringer pedals is soldered directly to the circuit board. And over time, as you plug and unplug cords from the jack, over time, the solder can break making the pedal unusable.

In summary, Behringer pedals have poor build quality and unlike many pedals out there, they can easily break.

Luckily, there are ways to rehouse these pedals with metal casing to make them more robust and durable. By going with this route, you’ll still save a lot of money rather than buying the original pedals these Behringer pedals are cloning.

StompBoxElectronics have a detailed guide on how to do this. Feel free to check it out.

Are Behringer Pedals True Bypass?

For those who don’t know what true bypass is when is, let me quickly explain. A true bypass pedal is a pedal that does not alter the guitar’s signal when it is turned off whiles still connected to the guitar being played.

Usually, your pedal will be part of a signal chain with many different pedals on your pedalboard. And when you turn a pedal off, ideally, you don’t want them to color or change your guitar’s signal in any way. And that is what a pedal that is true bypass does.

When you connect your guitar to a true bypass pedal, and the pedal is turned off, the output tone should sound as if the pedal is not connected in the first place.

With that being said, are Behringer pedals true bypass?

The truth is Behringer pedals are not true bypass. They will still affect your guitar’s signal slightly when they are turned off.

Some Behringer pedal models like the Behringer Vintage Tube Monster – VT999 (on Amazon) are advertised as having true bypass, but unfortunately, that is not the case. Reviews from users have revealed that these true bypass does not work. This implies that Behringer pedals are not true bypass.

However, personally, I don’t think this should prevent you from getting a Behringer pedal. As long as you like the tone it produces, go for it. This is because most guitar pedals available today are not true bypass anyway.

As a guitarist who desires true bypass sounds or “clean” sounds, you need to make sure all the guitar pedals on your pedalboard are true bypass to achieve that. 

Do Behringer Pedals have Buffers?

Buffers in guitar pedals are quite important. But in simpler terms for those who don’t know what it is, a buffer is a form of signal booster that helps maintain the guitar’s signal strength and maintains its clarity.

Without a buffer in pedals, the guitar’s signal can become dull or muffled and lose its beauty. So, nowadays, many pedal manufacturers include a buffer circuit in their pedals to help maintain the guitar’s tone as it is processed through many different pedals.

And when you’re buying a guitar pedal, it’s definitely important to know if that pedal has a buffer built into them.

Behringer pedals have buffers built-in. This means your guitar’s signal will remain strong and won’t degrade after running through any of the Behringer pedals.

I think this is impressive for pedals that usually sell for about $50 or less to have buffer circuitry built into them.

Although Behringer pedals have a built-in buffer, if you are going to use them with other pedals from different manufacturers, which you probably would, I highly recommend getting a standalone buffer. It’s good practice to run a buffer pedal at the beginning and end of your signal chain, otherwise known as “Sandwiching.” 

If you can’t afford two for both ends, at least get one buffer at the end of your signal chain before the guitar signal gets to your guitar amp. You should definitely get one if you have a large pedalboard.

Here is an excellent but affordable buffer pedal I usually recommend to anyone looking to purchase one. It simply does what a buffer does and gets the job done.

Downsides of Behringer Pedals 

As I mentioned earlier, the main problem with Behringer Pedals is their poor build quality. This puts into doubt their reliability and durability in the long term. The lack of true bypass in Behringer pedals might also be seen as a downside by some users.

Poor Build Quality

In order to keep the prices moderate and cheap enough for most people to afford, Behringer pedals are produced with inferior materials – plastic. The pedals are encased in thin plastic enclosures.

The jacks and knobs of Behringer pedals are soldered directly to fairly cheap circuit boards. They are only held in place by the circuit boards with no nuts added to improve their stability. With no nuts to hold them in place on the housing, the jacks may break and give out with time. This affects the durability of the pedals.

Not True Bypass

The effects produced by guitar effects pedals contributes greatly to the melody and “beauty” of music. Nonetheless, some guitarists may yearn for only the clean sound produced by the guitar at some point during play. 

This cannot be achieved with non-true bypass pedals without disconnecting them entirely from the setup. Most Behringer effects pedals do not have true bypass. The few that are advertised as having true bypass seem not to work efficiently. Though negligible, this might be a problem and a deterrent for others.

Best Behringer Guitar Pedals

There are many great-sounding pedals in Behringer’s line-up. But I’ll talk about only two of the most popular and sought-after pedals. Let’s get straight into it.

Analog Behringer Pedals: Behringer Vintage Tube Monster – VT999

The Behringer Vintage Tube Monster VT999 (on Amazon) is undoubtedly the best analog Behringer effects pedal available. This is a Classic Tube Overdrive effects pedal by Behringer, which is based on a hand-selected vacuum tube. Unlike, many Behringer pedals out there, this has a metal casing which makes it more robust. This also means it is slightly higher priced than the rest. Some of its features include;

  1. 3-band EQ control for amazing sound shaping.
  2. A separate Gain and Master volume control for boosting your sound.
  3. An integrated Noise Gate with an adjustable threshold for keeping your sound noise-free.
  4. True bypass for preserving tone when the effect pedal is turned off (Don’t bank all your hopes on this feature, though).
  5. Status LED for power ON/OFF.

Digital Behringer Pedals: Behringer DR600 Digital Stereo Reverb Pedal

The Behringer DR600 Digital Stereo Reverb Pedal (also on Amazon) is the best digital Behringer Pedal on the market. This product has been designed to rub shoulders with the best effects pedals out on the market. It has received resounding reviews from users. Some of the features of this product include;

  1. 24-bit high-resolution stereo reverbs including Spring, Plate, Hall, Gate, Room, and Modulate.
  2. Status LED to check battery and effect ON/OFF.
  3. Powered by a 9 V battery or DC power adapter.
  4. Dedicated Mode, Time, Tone, and Level controls for awesome sound shaping.
  5. Dual output jacks.
  6. First-class electronic On/Off switch for highest signal integrity in bypass mode.

Are Behringer Pedals Worth it? Conclusion and Recommendation

Behringer is known for producing great-sounding yet affordable guitar effect pedals. If you are looking for low-budget pedals that can get the job done, the Behringer pedals are worth looking at.

The price they come at and the performance they deliver give you value for money. Some of the guitar pedals they clone are discontinued and you’ll have to pay a premium price to get the original.

For instance, the BOSS VB-2 on the used market can cost you a whooping $500. However, its clone, the Behringer UV300 (on Amazon) will cost you less than $40. It doesn’t get any better than that.

Even though they are made of plastic materials and may not be the most robust pedals available, the price makes them justifiable.

Here is what I’ll recommend. It’s best if Behringer effects pedals are used for practice or in the studio. They can easily break when subjected to strong thumping forces. So I wouldn’t recommend you use these pedals for live gigs.

However, if you want to use them regularly in any situation, then I suggest you purchase a guitar pedal metal casing like this one on Amazon, and make your own rehousing. Also, you can find out in your area or online for people who offer pedal rehousing services if you don’t consider yourself handy.