BehringerTO800 Vintage Tube-Sound Overdrive Effects Pedal

This product came within stated delivery times. I am fairly new to playing guitar, have only been playing for a year now and wanted to ‘experiment’ with some accessories. Having read the reviews I thought I would buy this considering the price. I actually bought a Behringer SF-300 Super Fuzz too so am writing this review to incorporate that as well.. again I am new to this so wanted to try other methods. I have two guitars both of which entry level Rockburns bought from Amazon- one being an Stratocaster style the other Les Paul2 style. I had already bought new/better strings and purchased a better amp too at around £70, again not top end but better than most ‘entry level’ ones.I read some reviews beforehand about being made of cheap plastic etc and not worth the money and all that, to be honest I done think they could be further from the truth.Packaging was really good the box looked like a good quality product inside and indeed I was not disappointed. The product certainly does not look or feel cheap. At first I thought it was metal but you could tell it was strong plastic. How this could be an issue I don’t know unless you have feet like a rino or intend using it with sledge hammer I cant see why this would pose an issue. To be honest unless you are one of these snobs that think you only get great quality from spending £100’s you will love it. I am no professional guitarist but can tell good quality and this is made very well indeed. Cant see spending stupid money for something a fraction of the price, unless you are a top rock band and producing your recording your own music!There is a battery compartment, I recommend you read the manual first !! I don’t often do this lol.. but it does clearly state how to access this and it is very simple, I think you can find this on youtube anyway but READ THE INSTRUCTIONS !!I also bought an adapter for it which all works well together.The sound is really great There is nothing spectacular here, just a good if generic pedal that does what it says on the box.It works, be better if it was easier to find the battery compartment. A sign saying 'Batteries Here.' would be a good idea. I found it after watching a YouTube video. Simple really.Behringer is a big company and although not great innovators, they do know their stuff when it comes to quality and value. Go ahead and buy one!Basically this pedal represents superb value for money. Good range of tones and sustain.I think the build quality is absolutely fine. Yes, it's not metal but it's still very robust. All in all, this is a steal.

I am an advocate of budget pedals when I need something specific. They lowered the barrier to entry that was prohibitively high 35 years ago when I started playing. There are lots of lower end options now so do your research and keep your expectations realistic for the price point. Importantly, don't believe the persistent bad rap about Berringer pedals. Sure, the digital pedals remain a bit iffy but the analogue circuits are probably as good as other budget brands. Yes construction is a bit flimsy but they are budget-budget and expectations need to be realistic. So, the TO800....I wanted a TS device for a single guitar sound to record tracks for three songs. It won't be gigged and likely be taken off the pedal board once tracking was done. So build wasn't an issue and £100 for a Maxon or Ibanez unnecessary. I needed to gain stack a tube screamer into a higher gain overdrive pedal to tighten the sound up and get some cut through for some songs when mixed. Live the OD pedal is great, but I needed more snarl and bite than it could do on it's own. I stumped for the Berringer because most of the circuit is similar to an original TS and other reviews made no mention of inherent noise or hiss. What can I say? It did the job perfectly and I liked it so much I am using it on it's own regularly too.I got the chance to A/B it with a current Ibanez TS after the fact. It has the same noise floor level and for the lighter boost sounds I am using it for, they perform exactly the same. The Berringer gets fizzy with the gain past 12 o'clock and can be 'harsh' with the level up high too. The Ibanez has a larger operating window across all the gain and levels. Also the tone control isn't as useable across the entire range like the Ibanez. But for me, none of this is an issue. Especially when a lot of people use TS's just for a lower level boost and not necessarily as the source of the high gain itself.If you want to try a tube screamer but are unsure and have limited cash to 'risk', the Berringer is well worth it. If you want a specific TS sound but only for very limited use, the Berringer is ideal. I've looked for faults, but I can't find any and I won't criticise build or sturdiness. There is no major issue with this, people simply seem to get hung up on the plastic casing and point out the metal cases of alternatives. Whatever your view on this you should already have those expectations in check when paying under £30 for a pedal. Sound wise, The TO800 nails it and that was the important thing for me.

Cheap enough compared with the big names. It is all plastic but ok for gentle everyday use, not sure it’d hold up long on the road

Experience gained from the very recent purchase of other Behringer pedals meant that I already knew the plastic construction would not be detrimental, as it is of a robust, high density, heavyweight variety.The performance didn't disappoint either.It does everything you would expect of something costing four, five or six times the purchase price, and it does it really well.The byepass works well. I currently have it in second position on a four-pedal board and the throughput is unaffected by any of them, and only one of which isn't a behringer.If powering by the convenient battery option (a single 9v in this instance), when not in use, never leave a jack plug in the "In" socket because whether or not the pedal is in the "on" depressed position, your battery will be drained "flat"! There is reference to this in the accompanying documentation, but didn't notice.Consequently, having set up and put aside a new four-pedal chain, replete with fresh batteries, I later discovered, on its next outing, that all but the first pedal was "dead" (first pedal had guitar jack plug removed).This is all probably old news to experienced pedal professionals, but I'm a newby learning by mistakes.As with all Behringer pedals, they are fantastic value for money.Recently had a disappointment, however, with the Behringer UO300 Ultra Octaver Effects Pedal which was either faulty os simply rubbish. Never ascertained which. Sent it back. Got no feedback on the return.