Behringer TO800 Vintage Tube Overdrive Pedal

What's not to love? Immediately after connecting the Behringer TO800 Vintage Tube Overdrive Pedal, my mind transported me back in time and gave me goose bumps! The pedal produced an extremely realistic vintage overdrive, complete with outstanding sustain. Okay, it doesn't say "BOSS" on the pedal, and didn't cost an arm and a leg. But, these caveats aren't necessary if you're looking for outstanding quality at an outstanding price! Excellent pedal if you miss the vintage sound of an authentic tube-driven overdriven effect. Way to go, Behringer!

Given the name and the green enclosure, you may have guessed that the TO800 Vintage Tube Overdrive is Behringer’s take on the legendary TS808. At only $19.99 shipped, it’s really not a bad pedal at all. It sounds very, very similar to a Tube Screamer, providing that warm overdrive sound and that signature mid-range boost.Behringer have had to make a couple of concessions to bring down the cost; appearance being one of them. The TO800 is never going to win any beauty contests. Honestly, compared to a Maxon or an Ibanez, the Behringer looks more like a Fisher-Price toy. The interface is simple and familiar. It features 3 knobs for Drive, Level, and Tone, as well as an on/off switch. The green plastic enclosure certainly isn’t as flashy as or robust as the pedals that inspired it, but it feels solid enough that it won’t fall apart mid-set unless you really put your foot through it. The knobs are also plastic, but are well fastened and have decent rotational resistance. Bedroom warriors need not worry, but touring musicians might want to look at re-housing the TO800 in a metal enclosure for peace of mind. New Behringer pedals also come with a 3-year warranty, a sign of how much confidence Behringer has in the quality of its products.I know we gear-obsessed guitarists forget this sometimes but when it comes to pedals, it’s how the pedal affects your tone that’s most important, not how awesome it makes your pedalboard look. Like a Transformer in disguise, there is more than meets the eye when it comes to the TO800.Inside the pedal, Behringer has included the an original 4558 IC op amp and MA150 distortion diodes. These components are crucial in replicating that vintage, tube-driven sound the TS808s are so well known for, so well done Behringer on this one. When engaged, the TO800 effortlessly performs the duties of a high-end overdrive pedal. Used with the red channel on my Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier, it tightens up the bottom end while giving the overall tone that little extra punch to cut through a mix. Used as a boost pedal, the TO800 has no problem ensuring leads soar through. It’s also got plenty of gain to dirty up a clean channel in that sweet, warm, overdriven tube kind of way. Fooling around with the tone knob really makes your amp sing and I was very pleased with the amount of warmth the Behringer pedal added to my sound. Best of all, like the pedal family it’s based off of, the TO800 only enhances your amp’s tone while retaining your playing dynamics rather than overpower them.I don’t have a TS808 to compare the TO800 to, but I do have a Maxon OD808X and an Ibanez TS9. While the Behringer doesn’t sound exactly like either, the tonal characteristics are definitely much closer to the Maxon than to the Ibanez; there’s a little more of a mid-range punch than the TS9 offers at the same settings.While the Behringer TO800 won’t be taking over as my number one choice for an overdrive pedal any time soon, I have to admit I’m still very impressed. It’s really a great overdrive pedal. My Ibanez TS9 and Maxon OD808X both provide a little more than the TO800 in warmth, in smoothness, and in depth. The Behringer is also slightly noisier, especially when the Drive knob is cranked. It’s noticeably brighter, which some guitarists may prefer, but in my opinion it slightly detracts slightly from the depth of my tone compared to the more expensive alternatives.Despite the qualms about the plastic enclosure and the slightly inferior overdrive sound compared to an original Ibanez TS808, there is no denying the pedal is just awesome. An Ibanez TS808 Reissue goes for $179.99 new. The Behringer TO800 goes for $19.99. For a recording artist or a touring musician, I’m not suggesting the TO800 can fill in as a perfect low-cost overdrive replacement. Rather, with 95% of the tone at 10% of the price, this pedal offers incredible value for money. For the bedroom musician or the beginner guitarist that just wants that Tube Screamer sound without breaking the bank, Behringer offers the perfect option. At an entry level price, the TO800 Vintage Tube Overdrive offers far more than an entry level sound.Pros:- Sounds very, very similar to a Tube Screamer. The overdrive is full of warmth, and provides that signature little mid-range boost.- Simple, familiar interface.- Incredible value for the money at only $20!Cons:- Plastic enclosure cause issues for guitarists with heavy feet.- Slightly brighter than a Tube Screamer causes a slight loss in warmth and depth compared to more expensive options.- Battery compartment requires a screwdriver to access.

A nice quality pedal. Sounds great, works as expected, doesn't feel "cheap" at all (despite the price being affordable).The ONLY reason I'm only giving it 4 stars is that it's 9VDC but does not come with a power adapter, and cannot use a 9V battery.If you buy this pedal, you will need your own 9VDC wallwort.

Nice compressor with bypass and LED indicator. CS 400 dynamic effects pedal is s a steal for this price. $25 dollars and get smooth compression with nice sustain. Compress loud and boost low signals, does not degrade sound. Dedicated level, tone, attack , and sustain. Another pedal was $150 dollars. Plastic case solid unless your an elephant it will be OK. Happy with this purchase.

I am not a giging muscian or even a serious player. I play for fun and relaxation. I have been playing for about 10 years but only in the past 2 years have I taken up the electric gutiar. I have a very simple amp setup with a Fender Starcaster 15 G as my practice/ backup amp and a Fender Mustang 1 20watt as my main amp. I love the Mustang, but have always found the Starcaster kinda weak (well duh it is a simple practice amp). I have 2 very basic Guitars (a Jay Turser M300 Series and an Epi LP Special II). I normally only use the Mustang but latly have found myself really appreciating the simple clean sound that the Starcaster can give, But it is a one hit wonder. I am constantly switch amps and is was getting tiresome. I order this pedal on a whim thinking that it might add a little depth the the starcaster and I might be more inclined to use this amp more. Boy did I hit a home run with that! The pedal arrived and I spent an hour playing with it on the starcaster. The depth and fullness it adds to this little amp is amazing. It truely gives it a tube crunch but yet retains the nice clean sound when the levels are backed off. Flip the overdrive button on the starcaster and this amp become a distortion MONSTER. Yea I know I can't imagine what this pedal would do on a "real" amp! I also found that I'm getting better response with my guitar tone knob too. THat was always an issue with this small amp- the tone knob made very little difference. Not anymore. I can spin the knob and go from clean to dirty and back again. Yup this is a winner for all you practice amp only people. Just for S and G's I plugged this into the Mustang (set on Brittish 60's Red) and turned the levels way down. Amazingly it backed the crunch and distortion way off from this setting (so now I can go clean without having to touch the amp!) All the reviews have stated how nicely this pedal works on the upper settings but it was great to find out that it can be used effectively to clean up a dirty channel! I look forward to playing with this some more on both amps.No for the nuts and bolts of the thing. Yup plastic. Well I'm very gentle on my gear (this sits on a table next to me and is activated with my hand) so I don't expect issues, but if I was a thrash metal rocker I would probably look elsewhere for durability. Don't drop it or jump on it and it should last a lifetime. The switch activation is very positive and easy to manipulate. No issues there. The dials are easy to read and turn smoothly. The LED is a nice level of brightness and does not flicker. I'm using the AC adaptor so no ideas on battery life or replacement. THe box is heavy enough to stay in place, but lite enough that I could easily toss it in a gig bag and not worry about it damaging a guitar. Cable plugs are rugged and seem like they will last a lifetime. I left the unit plugged in overnight and there was no desernable heat in either the adaptor or the pedal. after palying for an hour the pedal was still cool to the touch as was the adaptor.My biggest complaint has to do with Amazon itself. I got this for twenty bucks shipped. Amazon gave an estimate of 10 days to arrive!!! 10 Days! Yea it was coming from Vegas to NY but 10 DAYS!! 15 Days later it finally arrived. 15 DAYS!!!! More than 2 weeks. Half a Month!! I'm pretty sure UPS SurePost had a guy walk it to NY. I don't know what the big delay was all about but I was horribly bummed about shipping times. I ordered a few other items with this (AC adaptor and 5 ft insutment cable to use with this) and they arrived 4 days later.All in all this is a great pedal. Outstanding for those of us with simple equipment and on a tighter budget. If you have a simple practice amp and want more out of it, then grab one of these pedals and be prepared for amazment that so much sound can come from a little package.