Everyone knows about this company's efforts to offer competitive products at truly eye-catching prices. From our experience with Behringer, we know that, as a general rule, its products are well finished, with a good range of features, perform their functions at a satisfactory level, and all at extremely competitive prices.

Another thing I like about this brand's products is the good, extensive information users and consumers can find in Spanish, both on its website and in the manuals and catalogs it publishes.

Today we're looking at the V-Tone GMX 212 guitar amp. It seems the company's goal in developing this amplifier was to achieve powerful analog simulation and, at the same time, a flexible tool for the guitarist.

Sound control - Front panel
Two modeling channels that we control with:
- ¼" jack input
- Channel button, switches between the two channels.
- Drive. Combined with the amp and cabinet type, you control exactly the distortion you need for your playing.
- Channel LED. Indicates the selected channel.
- Amp. Selects among its tube amp simulations.
- Mode. Gain selector between Clean, Hi Gain and Hot.
- Speaker. Cabinet simulation control.
- EQ with Low, Mid and High (bass, mids, treble)
- Tuner, by holding the Channel button for more than 2 seconds.
- Display, shows the programs and unit information.
- Presets. Program selection.
- In/Out. Engages the chosen effect
- FX. Effect mix control.
- Level. Volume of the corresponding channel.
- Presence
- Master. Overall volume
- Power

Connections - Rear panel
- Jack input for the footswitch, which controls, among other things, the tuner, effects, channel selection, etc...
- MIDI IN. Allows remote control of the V-Tone via MIDI.
- Loudspeaker. Lets you connect two external speakers.
- Phones. Lets you monitor the V-Tone's audio signal. With a plug inserted, the speakers are muted.
- Slave In. Direct input to the V-Tone's power amp.
- Tape Out. An output for, say, recording what you play.
- Tape In. Lets you feed an additional stereo input signal, for example a CD or a drum machine.
- LINE. An output for sending the guitar to a mixer, for example. Includes cabinet simulation.
- Aux IN. Adjusts the volume of sources connected to Aux In.
- Insert Send. A parallel output without effects (for example).
- Speaker Out. Lets you connect additional speakers.
- Fuse holder.
- Power connection.
- Serial number.

The effects section
A good idea this amp offers is FTX, which lets us assign a set of effects to each channel, so that when we switch from one to the other we automatically get the effects previously assigned to each.

Before getting into the effects section, it's worth highlighting its MIDI functions, briefly described in the previous paragraph. Thanks to its MIDI capabilities, we can control the V-Tone remotely, making program changes and exchanging MIDI information between the amplifier and a MIDI foot controller or sequencing software.

What kinds of effects do we get?
We find a built-in effects unit covering a good range of possibilities, from the essential reverb to delays, wah, chorus, flanger, phaser, stereo tremolo, rotary speaker, magic drive, auto wah, pitch shifter, etc...

Amp and cabinet simulation
Amplification
The V-TONE gives us three simulations of classic tube amplifiers.
- TWEED. Crystal-clear, bright sounds with dynamic lows
- BRITISH. Harder, more aggressive amplification.
- CALIFORNIAN. The heavy sound vibe.

Cabinet
Two simulations of two characteristic guitar speaker cabinets:
- 4 x 12" closed-back cabinet (U.K.)
- 2 x 12" open-back cabinet (U.S.)

Mode
- Clean. Clean guitar sound in "crystal-clear" form
- Hi Gain. High gain, as heavy as it gets.
- Hot. A warm sound that falls between the two previous categories. An aggressive, saturated sound, but with moderate saturation.

Our test bench
We went through all the options the amp offers. Its variety and versatility are extensive, with decent quality levels. You can shape the sound to get it quite precisely close to what you're looking for. By selecting the amp type, cabinet and mode, you get the basic sound to work from. Then you fine-tune the EQ and add your personal touch of effects (built into the amp itself). You can cover practically any sound you're after, and the simulation adds that "rich" warmth a normal solid-state amp doesn't give us.

Besides the built-in effects unit and tuner, I especially liked the versatility the two channels give us. It's convenient for run-throughs at rehearsal or live, since we can set up a couple of very different sounds, for example rhythm and lead. Thanks to the footswitch (also included), a simple tap of the foot switches from one setup to the other.

As for the sound, I honestly think that, for its price and the number of tools it gives us, it's within reason. A kind of "all-inclusive" package that works for the rehearsal room and live, even if you don't have an effects unit, since you can get by with the one built into the GMX 212. If you're looking for a perfect-10 amplifier, you'll need to raise your budget; on the other hand, if you want something powerful, versatile and that does a bit of everything, this could be your perfect companion.

Conclusions
First of all, keep in mind the €347 (the price listed on the official website). As always with Behringer products, we see good value for money, with a complete, compact, well-finished product with every detail carefully looked after. The truth is that for relatively little money you can get a "representative" amp, with tube and cabinet simulation, a multi-effects unit and a tuner. For those who aren't looking for a high-end amplifier to demand "exquisite" nuances from, this can be a satisfying option.

Internet
One question nags at me, since the amp's spec sheet shows an output power of 2 x 50 W, while the technical specifications on the manufacturer's official website list 2 x 60 W for the V-TONE GMX 212 model.