Behringer TO800
It sounds exactly like a Tube Screamer!
The Tubescreamer is arguably the most popular pedal of all time and is the center-piece of many famous guitarists' rigs. Naturally, it is also the most cloned. Every single pedal brand out there has made their take on this iconic circuit, and even Ibanez and Maxon themselves have several versions of it.
So then how is the Behringer TO800 different? For starters it is £19.99. That is 6 times less than the Ibanez TS9 and 8 times cheaper than their TS808 reissue. Ok, but it is rubbish then? It uses the exact same circuit as Ibanez’s TS808, down to the 4558IC op amp and MA150 diodes. Behringer probably uses cheaper components overall, but the sound is completely identical.
So what are the drawbacks then? Well, you get a completely plastic enclosure. The jacks are very thin and, likely, won’t last forever. The knobs feel sturdy, although they are pretty small and have a weird texture from the unevenly applied paint. You still get an LED, as well as 9v power with a standard power supply or battery. Even though it is made of plastic, the pedal is quite sturdy and should withstand gigging. I would bring a backup! For practicing and recording, however, I actually prefer it over the TS808, because the footswitch is easier to turn on and off.
It is kind of hard to comment on the sounds, when we have already established exactly what it sounds like. The TO800 is a low to medium gain pedal. You can use it to add some texture to a clean sound or boost an already overdriven amplifier. It pairs very nicely with a single-coil equipped guitar. The TO800 has that unique and instantly recognisable sound with a strong boost to the mids. This works particularly well for lead guitar and solos - ask Stevie Ray Vaughan! The one thing it is not, however, is transparent. Since it only has a single tone knob for rolling off the higher frequencies, you are stuck with that mid-boost. So, if you want to preserve your tone, while making everything louder and fuller - look elsewhere.
Bottom Line
Overall, the Behringer TO800 is fantastic value for money and should be in every guitar player's collection, in case you ever want that iconic sound. If it is the bread and butter of your tone, however, we would recommend getting the real deal.