Behringer V-Tone Guitar Pack

Behringer V-Tone Guitar Pack

By Dink Ledden

You're nonchalantly traipsing down the sidewalk to your favorite pizza joint for some grub, nothing but a slice and an ice-cold cola on your mind, when a distinctly shady-looking individual approaches you. He's sort of mumbling; so at first, you can't even really tell if he's trying to talk to you or if he's a couple cards short of a full deck. After a second or two, you realize he is, in fact, talking directly to you and is trying to sell you a guitar.

Behringer V-Tone Guitar Pack
"Hey buddy, I got a guitar here I'll sell you-only a hunnerd smackers. You need a guitar?" It's a black electric six-string. Nice hardware. Tremolo even. But no one wants to be a sucker, so you demur and begin to back off.

"Hey, don'tcha wanna nice guitar? I'll throw in this strap, too." You continue walking, thinking this axe must be hotter than a $10 car stereo.

"Wait, just wait a second. It's a good guitar, really. And I'll even give you this cable and a couple of picks. Plus it comes in this gig bag-and, and, umm, this amp, too! Yeah, an amp."

Hot or not, the man now has your undivided attention. The guitar is obviously a well-made instrument, and he's selling it with a gig bag, cable, strap, picks, and an amp? For under a hundred bucks? This is a phenomenal freakin' deal. You'd buy it in a second, if this was a real situation that was actually happening to you and not just some phony scenario some writer made up, right? I mean, it's a total no-brainer.

Behringer V-Tone Guitar Pack
Your wish is granted
Well, guess what? It's real. Except you don't have to go find some suspicous character at the corner of Vine St. and University Ave. and hand him $100. You can call up Musician's Friend right now and have it delivered to your door. And it's not even remotely illegal. These guitar packs are legitimate, manufactured by Behringer with their typical high-quality levels, and feature all the innovations they could shoehorn into an inexpensive setup like this.

A pack like this is so versatile and useful that it's practically illogical not to own one. If you're a beginner, then there is simply no easier way to get started on electric guitar. The guitar has a great American tradition as a folk instrument, a cheap musical tool used by the masses to communicate their thoughts, feelings, and ideas to each other. There are no rules when it comes to this instrument. Sing or play whatever you want, and this pack makes that process a lot easier. Now there's practically no excuse for not grabbing a guitar and getting in on the action.

If you're already a player, how nice would it be to have an inexpensive setup like this that you could buy and leave at your girlfriend's place or the office? You could leave it at your practice space without having to worry about somebody breaking in and stealing your treasured vintage axe or tricked-out modern flyer. That's better than insurance.


Ready to rock
This guitar should look familiar at first glance, with very American-influenced body styling, pistol-holster headstock, maple neck and fretboard, three single-coil pickups, and tremolo system. The body is finished in black and topped with a white pickguard. It's a classic look made famous by everyone from Jimi Hendrix to Billie Joe Armstrong.

There's a reason this is one of the best-selling guitar designs ever. It fits right against your body for easy picking whether you're sitting or standing. The neck is smooth and well-finished, and fits perfectly into the pocket of your hand. It's slim enough to be fast and substantial enough that it feels like you're holding on to something solid and reliable, perfect for chords, riffs, and solos.

The sounds and tone are there too. The tremolo and whammy bar are smooth and deliver addictive vintage-tremolo swoops and swells. The tried-and-true three single-coil setup provides more than enough juice for cranking out rock, metal, and blues sounds. It's got standard five-way switching, too, for selecting different pickup configurations between the pickups. Its chiming overtones and nice harmonics sound great no matter what type of music you play.

The V-Tone GM108 amplifier might be diminutive, but its sound is definitely not! For only a 15W amp with an eight-inch vintage-design speaker, it moves a lot of air. What really rocks about it, though, is the true analog modeling circuitry. It boasts three classic guitar amps, three speaker simulation models plus three gain modes, serving up 27 hot sound presets. Getting great sound out of this setup is easier than making microwave popcorn. The amp is also designed to be the perfect practice companion with a dedicated headphone out and a CD input for private jamming along with your favorite songs.

A helping hand
Behringer really wants to make sure that everyone who buys this pack gets full enjoyment from it. To make sure that happens, they generously went the extra mile and included a mix of useful equipment such as a well-padded gig bag, an adjustable nylon strap, a high-quality instrument cable, and three picks. What will really help get you up and running though, is the easy-to-use chord chart sent along with every V-Tone guitar pack.

As a beginner, you really can't miss with a setup this complete. And for crusty veterans, the safety that a knock-around instrument affords is invaluable. Behringer has put together a comprehensive package designed to do lots for getting would-be guitarists everywhere started on the right track.