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Behringer Pre-amp Booster PB100
List: $55
The PB100 is a member of a new line of very affordable stompbox FXs by German manufacturer, Behringer. They look harmless enough but were in fact a subject of a legal bout between the aforementioned company & Roland, whose dominance in this market is unquestionably established by the super-popular BOSS units. This legal entanglement aside, is Behringer’s engagement in the pedal FX arena a desperate attempt to further their affordable line of offerings?
So you thought it’s a metal chassis forming the PB100’s housing at a single glance- nope. The manufacturer has opted for a plastic alternative instead, which very much accounts for the very pleasing price tag & weight. In fact, the PB100’s exterior is dominantly plastic, less some internals.
Battery access isn’t as user-friendly as one would have hoped for; this little ditty duplicates Digitech’s locking mechanism by employing twin hinge shafts which double as latches. Your fingertips are simply too gigantic to unlatch the footswitch cover so the aid of a pointed object is inevitable.
In use
The PB100 control panel features a trio of knobs- bass/ treble/ gain, which automatically invokes a Tubescreamer affiliation, but a drive pedal this is not. Hence, the gain control doesn’t inject any drive whatsoever, into your output, but is a ready drive enhancer in conjunction with another drive pedal in your FX chain or your amp’s drive for that matter. Upon activation, a predictably scooped tone is heard, that’s what you get with an absence of midrange manipulation. Positively, this pedal serves to differentiate your tone as it fattens proceedings rather markedly. However, do be liberal with your bass settings as excessive employment will only make things progressively undefined; ‘MUD’ for the rest of us.
Last say
Many of us are not too enthusiastic to own a light-weight pedal for accounts of practicality; it jerks too easily if your cable is tugged; so who’ll constantly be there to return it to place during live performances? If you intend to acquire this one, be sure to strap it down onto your pedal board. This pedal will win over more fans if it features a more user-friendly battery access. If you are into a scooped setting per se, the PB100 will be a good supplement; otherwise you’d be cursing the absence of midrange control.
The PB100 is arguably uninspiring but undeniably functional. The $55 price tag is too attractive to pass off. Do try it out before parting with cash.
Likes:
• Irresistible price tag
• Effective performance
Dislikes:
• Battery access
• Too light-weight
• Doubtful plastic durability
• No midrange control
Worthy competitor:
• MXR Micro amp
• Seymour Duncan Pickup Booster