VT999 Vintage Tube Monster Review

For starters, the 12AX7 vacuum tube is the driving force behind this unit. It really does sound incredible. Behringer have really lifted their game, and it definately shows. People have argued saying your better off just buying a stack with full size valves, and they're right.

Ease of Use:	8.5
Sound:	9
Reliability:	8.5
Impression:	9
Overall rating:	8.9
Reviewer rating:	8.8
Users rating:	9
Votes:	14

Reviewed by: unregistered, on march 04, 2009

Price paid: $ 70

Purchased from: Same Day Music

Ease of Use: Very easy to use - laid out like a tube amp with gain & master & bass/mid/treble, on off Switch, FS. I like the noise gate feature as this will allow the pedal to be at the end of the chain o' pedals. The tone controls have a good range. The LED's are nice & bright. I haven't opened up the manual - the pedal is very intuitive to use. // 9

Sound: As good a tube Overdrive sound as I have ever heard. I've been playing for o'er 40 yrs. Great overtones, sustain, and touch sensitivity. Not too raspy (I have an EH English Muffin that is a bit saw-tooth). I played a Tele through it to test her out - really gets a thicker/meaty/smoother tone with it - Robben Ford/Dumble amp tone & feel. You can get the scooped metal-like tone with the pedal if you want, and clean boost is nice & warm. A very musical pedal. Amazing bang for buck. I had trouble putting the guitar down I like it so much. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I know it is well built because the shipper packed the thing horribly and it was flying around in the big box from Las Vegas to Oregon. I kicked it around a bit while I was testing it & there were no issues. It is a metal casing/FS and the tube is well protected. I always have a backup for gigs, but probably won't need one. // 8

Impression: I think this pedal would cover most any guitar style. I'm more of a blues/jazz/country guy - Larry Carlton, Johnny A, Matt Rae, R Ford. I've had just about every kind of guitar gear ever made and I must say this Monster is one of the best unit's I have ever tried. There have only been a few pedals that I have used for years and some I wish I never got rid of. This one will be a keeper. For overdrive/distortion pedals I only like 1 footswitch -on/off. I don't like the 2-pedals in one unit's or boost Switch - too much nonesense. Functional simplicity and good sound are the keys. // 9

overall: 8.8

Reviewed by: Amadeus_Wolves, on february 04, 2009

Price paid: A$ 130

Purchased from: Morayfield Music

Ease of Use: For starters, the 12AX7 vacuum tube is the driving force behind this unit. It really does sound incredible. Behringer have really lifted their game, and it definately shows. People have argued saying your better off just buying a stack with full size valves, and they're right. It just can't replace a good stack. But it replicates it flawlessly, and that's all I need. Only problem is the knob design. They get hit outta place really easy if your not careful when you go to kick it into gear. Because it does have a vacuum tube, you have to leave it sit for about 3-5 minutes to warm up and avoid damage. // 8

Sound: I'm running this little beast through a Marshall MG50 DFX. (Straight to input) After getting the settings right and playing for a while, I found myself trying to make excuses to keep my VD-1 Vintage Distortion Pedal. It's tonal range and power are insane. I usually pair it off with my custom Epiphone G-401 because the Epiphone gives a rather high frequency, great for that high pitched scream. The Washburn on the other hand is the heavy brother guitar, and comes across more bassy. I played silverchairs' "Slave" with full step down drop C on the Washburn, and I was speachless how well it did. Each gives a unique sound, but there's no denying the thick tone that the box punches out. I hardly ever use the noise gate though. Feels better when you have a little buzz to remind you of what your dealing with. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I dunno much about lifetime value, but I've played on stage with it heaps of times, and it hasn't failed me once. It's got an good hard case on it, so it'll survive the rock n' roll emvironmet easy. And this stupid this won't let me post till I've written more in here... Warning though, the knobs (again) might suffer if your not careful. // 9

Impression: I play a lot of metal/grunge, and sometimes flow into the realm of folk, but it's excellent for what I need. I should have asked when the tube will need replacing, but everyone seems to say every 5 years or whenever it gets too stuffed up. I would definately buy it again if it were lost/stolen. It's grown on me. It can't say enough on how good the sound is for me. If you click the FDD swith over on your amp, it just makes everyone in the room feel all... tingly... yeah. // 9

Comments

[merrihew]

Nice review. A lot of distortion pedals have limited dynamic range (on purpose). Playing a drop tuning needs a full range pedal. I remember the Hughes and Kettner Warp Factor was the drop tuning pedal back in the day. You should pick one up when you see one, they are usually, under $50

[nacl_dkny]

i just bought this pedal via amazon, i plugged everything correctly, the blue light just blinks. pressing on the foot switch doesn't make any difference. i have read that it needs time to warm up, but having it plugged for almost 2 hours without the LED stop blinking, i think somethings wrong. am i doing something wrong or my pedal's broken? faulty tubes?

[Insanity ninja]

nacl_dkny wrote:

i just bought this pedal via amazon, i plugged everything correctly, the blue light just blinks. pressing on the foot switch doesn't make any difference. i have read that it needs time to warm up, but having it plugged for almost 2 hours without the LED stop blinking, i think somethings wrong. am i doing something wrong or my pedal's broken? faulty tubes?

Something's wrong there, it'd be a good idea to contact the seller.

I also love mine, even though it's scraped and bashed, I reckon that gives it character