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Behringer Vintage Tube Overdrive (VT911)
List: $135
The Behringer brand name has struck an abominable chord among players who took the chance & invested in the manufacturer’s $55 dollar pedals; they were plastic & the tones on board were as synthetic. Naturally, these units were quickly tossed aside & the mere mention of the Behringer brand name would conjure more bitter accounts than pleasureable moments. Take note: The VT911 isn’t plastic & it houses a 12AX7 pre-amp tube.
Features/ build
The VT911 is an aluminum subject sporting a trio of plastic Level/ Tone/ Drive knobs which are self-explanatory. The switch here is a hard-wire bypass feature & has no clicking annoyances in use. On its western allocation, a ventilation grille lets the user acknowledge the presence of a 12AX7 pre-amp tube, resident in the pedal’s innards. Despite its (12x15x5) cm make, the VT911 weighs less than your average Digitech FX pedal. A quick peek into the interior (refer to pic) reveals much hot air as opposed to a wire-intense circuitry. In this light, the VT911 could have been more adorable in its dimensions but at the expense of its physical appearance. Together with its cream/ V-imprint, this OD pedal makes its presence felt.
Rating: 90%
In use
Upon activation, the VT911 gives off a bright blue afterglow courtesy of its indicator LED. Many of us would wonder why the solitary pre-amp tube does not come to life & would definitely consign this pedal to the depths of defect hell owing to the notorious reputation of the manufacturer. Before you demerit any parties in this situation, do note that the VT911 runs on a 9V adaptor, the measure of which is too insubstantial to light up any pre-amp tube, unlike the wattage of a combo amp for instance. Contrary to its previous fabrication, there is no back-lit LED this time to appease the users of the VT911’s functionality. Do note that the pedal is in good working order despite the 12AX7’s apparent lifelessness.
What would you expect from a pedal of this ilk, drive-wise? If you wish for intense, metal-type drive, you’d be investing in the wrong pedal. The VT911 offers the user the warmth of a tube laden drive; it is indeed equipped with one, no surprises there. What you’d hear from this performer is midrange warmth; the degree of which draws its inspiration from a creamy Tubescreamer-like sponginess, peppered with the girth of a rude fuzz unit. The pedal’s intensity is rather profound at the upper drive levels despite the label’s promise of a ‘vintage’ performance. The TONE control here is responsible for bass & treble containment, the midrange performance, it seems, lies with the amount of drive one pumps up.
In use with another drive pedal or an amp’s dirty channel, the LEVEL & TONE offerings of the VT911 is quite comprehensively subdued so the player is left to manipulate the DRIVE control to appropriately colour his/ her tonal output. In this application, the VT911’s function as a booster is acknowledged by the warm tube-tone presence, not quite marked to the unfamiliar ears.
All in all, the VT911 is best used in isolation for that jangly, single coil drive (watch the drive settings, please) or a fat humbucking fuzz trip. In use with a primary drive unit, this pedal’s influence on the overall tone output is rather influential in terms of definition; it is not impossible to dial up a very fuzzy setting which masks clarity.
Tone test equipment:
• Amps: Sound Drive SG612R/ Ibanez ValBee
• Guitars: Epiphone LP Std (equipped with TESLA Plasma pickups)/ Ibanez RGR321/ Fender Highway1 Strat
• Effects: BOSS Distortion DS-1/ Carl Martin Crush Zone/ Rocktron Metal Planet/ Behringer GDI-21
Rating: 88%
Last say
The mere mention of ‘Behringer’ to many of us is outright repulsion. It is only virtuous to cast aside prior bitter experiences to simply hear what this pedal has to offer. Is the inclusion of a pre-amp tube a gimmick by the manufacturer to lure you to their largely clone offerings? A gimmick, by other manifestations, would involve a common lure to purchase, without a comprehensive benefit from the primary attraction- which isn’t the case here. The VT911 gives off that mystical tube warmth which is the inclination of many players in search of a more organic drive. Nevertheless, the VT911’s offering isn’t the ultimate tube tone at the exclusion of others; this reviewer has come across other tube laden drive tones which offer a different yet inviting definition & warmth. For the tube obsessed, the VT911 is a plain excuse for owning a device to propel their favoured pre-amp tube, which is the current occupation of this reviewer.
Overall rating: 90%
Likes:
• Tube warmth
• Ease of use
• Warmth
• Not noisy
• Price
Dislikes
• Not as dynamic when used in conjunction with other drive units
• Bulky design
