UM100 Review

Take off with the most extreme and sought-after hard rock or heavy metal distortion around. Multi-gain circuitry lends your sound super thick, tube-like distortion plus endless sustain. There are dedicated Distortion, 3-band EQ and Level controls for effortless sound shaping.

Ease of Use:	9.1
Sound:	9
Reliability:	7.8
Impression:	8.8
Overall rating:	8.7
Users rating:	7.1
Comments:	42

overall: 9

Featured review by: unregistered, on april 21, 2006

Price paid: $ 22.04

Purchased from: The Music Spot

Ease of Use: This UM100 (Ultra Metal) pedal is amazing with 6 controls you can create almost any metal sound out there. The manual is pretty simple, tells wat the knobs do, it doesn't take long to get the gidt of it. // 10

Sound: I'm playin this thru a Crate 65R amp and a Schecter Omen 6 guitar. This little beast give almost no excess noise except for a little on the higher treble settings. You can mimic almost any metal sound ut there with this stompbox, from Zeppelin all the way up to The Agony Scene its perfect for any metal junkie. // 10

Reliability & Durability: It's alright for strength even though it's only covered with plastic, I'd use it at a gig without a backup so long as I don't stomp on it too hard. // 7

Impression: I play metal/hardcore so this pedal works out perfectly for me. I've been playing for just under 6 years now and this is buy far the best metal pedal out. I'd definitly buy another one if it was stolen simply because of the quality and the price. Overall anyone into metal/hardcore/screamo/grindcore you know all that junk this is the perfect pedal for you so go and get yourself one and start the shreddin'. // 9

overall: 9

Reviewed by: unregistered, on august 02, 2007

Price paid: $ 27.72

Purchased from: Your Music (local store)

Ease of Use: Well, what can I say about the Behringer UM100. it's a great pedal. it's very very simple to use and you can get a great sound from it in just a couple of minutes. There is 1 control for distortion level (dist), I for volume (level), and a 4 band EQ. 1 high, 1 low, and 2 med. knobs. If you have a certain setting you use for your amp's Overdrive channel, just use the same config on this, and it will sound great (this is what I did). // 10

Sound: Well, I use a Stratocaster 2 classic Fender pickups on the neck and middle position and 1 Squier pickup on the bridge position. I mostly use the neck and the middle pickup, very rarely the bridge pickup. I also have few other custom made guitars but 1 which I mainly use with this pedal, a custom made with EMG 60, 81 active humbuckers. The amp I use is a Fender Frontman 15R and I sometimes also hook up a subwoofer to my amp so that it gives me a more bassy sound. Well, the pedal does make a little bit of noise when you have it on and you're not playing the guitar. I have my amp's bass on full and treble and medium on half, and the pedals eq. set like this: high on 0, both the mids on 75% and the low on full. I use it to play metal (all types, heavy, death, grindcore etc)stuff like Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Korn, Slipknot, etc and some classical rock like led zeppelin, etc. and a little bit of nirvana (but for Grunge I have a DigiTech Grunge pedal) and this pedal gives me a good sound. The pedal is certainly good (if not great). // 8

Reliability & Durability: The body is of hard plastic, and there's a rubber cover on the stomp area (I'm not sure what you call that), it's designed just like any other pedal. The pedal is certainly dependable, and I haven't used this one as my main pedal on a gig, maybe once, but I don't remember, as I have a multi effects pedal as my main, I mostly use this as a backup, but yes, I think this can be used as a main pedal, as it runs for about 2 to 3 days continuously on a 9v battery. // 9

Impression: As I said before, I mainly play all types of metal, Grunge and classic rock.. also a little bit of blues and jazz, but mainly metal/grunge/rock, and I think that this pedal is pretty good for those three genres. not the best, but certainly a good one. I've been playing for about 1yr and a few months. I also own a DigiTech Grunge pedal, a Behringer UD100 distortion pedal and a Korg AX5G multi effects pedal (which I'll be changing soon). If this pedal was stolen, I don't think I would buy the same one again, as I'm an experimental guitarist, and I like experimenting with different pedals and other stuff, and also because of the fact that the Korg AX5G has a good metal effect on it. The only 1 other pedal I've compared this one to was the Boss mt2, I don't know why, but I just did, and I think that the Boss mt2 is a better pedal for metal than this one is. But still, this pedal is certainly not a bad pedal, and if you're a beginner than I consider you going for this pedal. // 9

overall: 8.8

Reviewed by: dan ramP, on september 07, 2007

Price paid: $ 27.45

Purchased from: GAK

Ease of Use: This pedal is so awesome for it's price, I never expected something this cheap to actually sound good. The pedal itself is pretty simple to use, 6 knobs to change EQ, level and distortion and you can get any sound you want from it, with no feedback unless you max everything out. // 9

Sound: I run the pedal through a Crate GT15R and a Jackson RR3, and I have to say it sounds great, even through a practice amp. the distortions a lot better than my amp and there's only buzzing and feedback if you crank it up and stand right next to your amp. I haven't noticed the effect getting weaker as the battery dies, and the battery itself lasts a few mounths for me (I play 1-2 hours a day). I play Children Of Bodom, Norther and Cannibal Corpse, so Death Metal type stuff in general. I can get the sound I want quite easily so there are no problems with it for that genre. // 9

Reliability & Durability: Reliability wise, I'd probably take a backup pedal. "This" Behringer pedal works fine and has never had any problems, but my Behringer Chorus pedal, that ironically cos me £15 more, slowly started to die untill the effect didn't do anything and I had to get rid of it. I guess this was just a faulty pedal as the rest of my behringers still work fine. As for how strong it seems, I see no problems there, it would only break if you were to literally stomp on it I guess, and I don't really wanna try. // 8

Impression: I play melodeath and death metal so this pedal suits me perfectly. I've been playing roughly 2 yrs. I own 4 other Behringer pedals, not including the now binned chorus pedal, and the rest all work fine and sound great for their price, I would definately buy it again if I lost it or it got nicked. I'd also recomend buying Behringer pedals if your looking for something that sounds good for a cheap price. // 9

overall: 9

Reviewed by: MegaEgga, on april 30, 2008

Price paid: $ 30.4

Purchased from: Better Music

Ease of Use: I was saving up for a Boss MT-2 when I came across one of these in another nearby music store for $40, I tried it out and immediately fell in love with it. It is pretty much exactly the same as the Boss MT-2. The manual really doesn't do much and is mostly addresses and phone numbers but it is pretty darn simple to use, if you know how to use an amp then you can use this. It has 6 controls which are Gain, Volume, High, Mid, Mid Freq. & Low. // 9

Sound: You can create so many different sounds with it, I use it for playing stuff like Metallica and you can get such a good crunch out of it (think '... And Justice for All'). That being said it is also pretty simple to get a lighter distortion for Iron Maiden. I'm using it with an ESP LTD M-207 and a Cube 15. My amp sucks but I'm getting a new amp this weekend so that should be great. Anyway, the only problem I can think of with this pedal is it creates a lot of feedback but as the guy said above me most distortion pedals tend to do this (in my experience). // 10

Reliability & Durability: A lot of people seem to think because it is made out of plastic that it is weak, but unless you're really going to stomp on this thing I don't think it'd break. It's easily strong enough for a gig, I have had two with it and it worked great! But obviously a pedal made out of metal would be stronger. // 8

Impression: I mostly play metal and you can really create a good metal sound for bands like Metallica, Megadeth and Iron Maiden with this pedal. Before buying this I had been saving up for the Boss MT-2 and found this to be better simply because of the price (about $140 cheaper), otherwise they are pretty much the same. If something was to happen to this pedal I'd almost definetely get another one because for the price ($40 Australian! ) it is absolutely amazing. // 9

overall: 7.8

Reviewed by: inflames130, on may 15, 2008

Purchased from: eBaY

Ease of Use: It is quite easy to get a good tone from this Pedal, it has a superior EQ which if you experiment around a bit you can easily get a good tone. My only complaint is that the control knods are quite fiddly and a bit too small. The manual was mediocre as it showed you the basics, but there was no presets. // 7

Sound: I put this Compact pedal through my Roland 30x Cube and my Jackson JSRR30 guitar, it makes a slight humming noise volume is up quite high. I would advise users to not use too much treble as it is quite a harsh tone, and instead pump up the treble on your amp. I find this pedal good for any metal (obviously) and espesially In Flames. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I have not gigged with it, so I would not really know but it isnt as strong as the Boss distortion pedals. So far though I haven't had any problems. If I was to gig I wouldn't use this as a backup as isnt as sturdy as the Boss which would be hard to break unlike this one. // 7

Impression: I play metal, and obviously since it is called an ultra metal, it is espesially a good match for metal. I have been playing about 2 years and have tried the Boss Metal Zone. They are both similar pedal but execpt for the Boss pedal being more well built, the beringer ultra metal is excellent value for money. If this pedal was stolen or lost I would not buy it again as the distortion on my Roland cube is good enough, but overall it is an excellent product. // 8

overall: 8.5

Reviewed by: sg4ever, on september 03, 2007

Price paid: $ 34.99

Purchased from: Hickory Wind

Ease of Use: It's quite simple to use really. It's easy to get the sound you want out of it. Just increase or decrease what sounds necessary. The six knobs (dist, high, low, mid, mid freq., and level) pretty much describe themselves. The main beef I had was with the wonderful "manual" it came with. I figured things out pretty well though. // 9

Sound: It sounds good generally. I use a Greg Bennet guitar with Duncan designed pickups and a Kustom Quad DFX 65. The distortion is quite thick and pinch harmonics come through loud and ballsy (when the eqs are set properly). The highs are quite overabundant so this harms lead tone and pinch harmonics. This of course can easily be corrected by turning down the treble to the 0-2 area (resulting in the good sounding distortion that I described). I'm not really interested in having a sound exactly like some particular guitar hero of mine. I just wanted a good sound for anything from hard-edged rock to the most metallic metal. The pedal delivers all the gain and eq control I need for chugging rhythms and searing riffs and leads. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I wouldn't bank on durability and reliability. It's made outta plastic for cryin' out loud! I even got a lemon that doesn't work on the side I plug the guitar into. It is inexpensive and easily replaceable though. Shoot! I'll buy another one or cop out and use the warranty! In terms of playing gigs I'm gentle with my gear so it should hold up fine. // 6

Impression: I play mostly a mixture of youth worship, blues, and rock, but delve very much into metal like, Iron Maiden, As I Lay Dying, All That Remains, Killswitch Engage, and Shadows Fall as well. I use my amp for the softer stuff and this pedal for all the heavy stuff. It works quite well indeed. I've been playing for slightly more than two years and my musical tastes have broadened. My guitar and amp couldn't handle the heavy stuff I'd started to like so this pedal was in order. I honestly could have bought better, but it's enought to satiate me for quite a while. Since it's so inexpensive I would replace it with another. // 10

overall: 8

Reviewed by: joey100, on may 15, 2007

Price paid: $ 27.45

Purchased from: Guitar Amp Keyboard

Ease of Use: This was the first pedal I got and I cannot complain about ease of use, a muppet could do it. Though the manual is brief it says all it needs to, there's nothing more to it than twisting knobs until you're happy. Changing the battery is pretty simple, it requires a little will power though as you need to find a thin enough implement to open it. // 8

Sound: Its not too noisy, or atleast not more than when it's not in use. You can get decent feedback (which I like) when not playing and there's no horrible noises when playing. When you're looking for a specific tone and find it it's always satisfying and there's no difference with this pedal however some of the higher frequencey tones are a little weak. I play a lot of Grunge punk rock and metal and I find it suits for every style. there's certainly no need to write it of because it's cheap. // 8

Reliability & Durability: I will always depend on it, I gig a lot and it's not failed me yet and I have never had back up (partly due to the fact I don't have the cash to buy multiple of the same thing.)I would be worried about dropping it though, as it is plactic and not metal and just make sure to regulaly change the battery but apart from that there's nothing to worry about. // 8

Impression: Now I cannot compare it to anyother product of it's kind as I have never had one, but overall I am very happy with it. Anyone stole it, if it breaks or I loose I would probably buy it again though I may try a different Behringer pedal. I play rock, punk, Grunge, metal and when it's switched on from playin clean it sure is satisfactory (its played through a 15 watt Marshall amp (though asap a Behringer stack)and my guitar is a Vintage SG copy with 2 Wilkinson Humbuckers. Best feature is deffinatly sound for money worst is it's made with plactic but it's not been damaged yet thankfully. // 8

overall: 8.8

Reviewed by: Feed, on july 28, 2006

Price paid: $ 25.2

Purchased from: Sergio Tomassone

Ease of Use: This Ultra Metal 100 Pedal is very easy to use because with only six controls (distortion, volume, high, mid, mid frequency, low) you can get a lot of different sounds suitable for any kind of metal sound, from death to heavy. The manual is very small and has got only useless informations like "where to put the jack" and doesn't have useful information like how to use the equalizer to get a sound which fits well the kind of music you want to play. // 9

Sound: I use this pedal with my Marshall MG30DFX and my Ibanez GRG270B and I can play both bands like Death and Judas Priest. On the higher settings it's a little bit noisy but it's not annoying. The more you turn the volume up the more it sounds great. The only effect of this pedal is distortion, which I think is very good for this price. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I think it's very robust even if it's covered by plastic and not by metal. I've never used it on a gig but I think I would use it also without a backup. // 8

Impression: I've been playing for two years and it's the best pedal I've tried so far. I play almost every kind of metal, and I think it matches well with heavy, power, death and trash. I would have tried this pedal before buying it but I couldn't, now it doesn't matter anyway. I love it because it's very versatile and I think I would buy it again if it was stolen. I chase this one because it's the cheapest and because I wanted to get a powerful sound out of my amplifier. // 9

overall: 9.8

Reviewed by: unregistered, on november 27, 2006

Ease of Use: Put simply it's 6 knobs and a button on a battery. They haven't put 6 million dails on it. Perfect for getting a good sound quickly. It's as simple as scratching you're arse. It's simple yet effectice setup makes it easy to get a good sound out of. Upon using other guitar proccessors I found this a relif to use. A monkey could use this. // 10

Sound: I'm currently running this through Marshall MG13CDR and using a Jackson JS30RR. I have used all kinds of distortion pedals and it must be said "holy shit". Behringer has done iself proud with this 1. I only bought it after seeing it in an old window of a dodgy shop. I saw it as a sign, bought it and playied it, and it must be said, this pedal is the best bargain ever. Seriously, you can't affaord not to buy it. Plz, after reading this get 1, if you don't like it have a go at me personally, call me names or summat. // 10

Reliability & Durability: It looks f--kin flimsy but it isnt. I currently use mine to prctice but I bet it could take a betaing. Just buy a pedal board if you're that worried. Even if you do break it, it isn't a big deal, it only cost me 20 quid. Buy lots, give them to people for no reason. // 9

Impression: Look, if you like metal then get this pedal. You could be playing it with a crappy 10 v amp and a pile of shit guitar and ull sound amazing. It's a real confidence booster for the beginner guitarist, cheap as f--k (price wise) and is the best sounding pedal I've ever heard. Take it from me. Buy this pedal, If you don't like it abuse me, an if you like it, give me sex. // 10

overall: 8.3

Reviewed by: tpvikke, on may 03, 2007

Price paid: $ 25.2

Purchased from: Unisound

Ease of Use: The effect is very easy to use. Just get a battery, stamp it and get metal! It's easy to get the sound you want with just the 6 knobs (dist, volume, 3 band EQ+ mid freq). I didn't get any manual, but it's no need to have one. I only got the safety notes. // 10

Sound: I'm using my Behringer effect with a Behringer V-Tone amp, and a Yamaha guitar (just a piece of ****, soon buying a Jackson JS30RR). When you turned of the volume control on the guitar the effect goes a bit noisy, but when playing there is no noise in the background. The dist is pretty good. Not very roaring but good. The sustain is quite okay but that might depend on the guitar. I can't really get the Helloween dist out of it but the sound is good anyway. // 8

Reliability & Durability: I can surely depend on it on a gig without any backup at all. I just have to make sure I've got a Brand New battery in it every gig, becourse this Machine is eatin these batterys up quickly. one battery may last 2-3 weeks or so. I've used it on a couple gigs and it works fine. But I definitely say that if you got the right sound it's just to go out rocking and don't worry about the effect. It goes hard all the time. // 8

Impression: I play most metal and of course it's a good match. I've been playing for two years and still the Behringer is my only effect. If this were stolen I'd try something else, only becourse I'd want to try something else. I'd like even better dist. I wish it had different "channels" to get different sounds. 2 or 3 would be enough. // 7

Comments

[Ac/dc_Zeppelin]

What the hell...You payed $22.04 for this thing!!???

Is that american prices or canadian????

[Ac/dc_Zeppelin]

What the hell...you payed $22.04 for this thing!!??

Is that canadian or american prices?

[Ac/dc_Zeppelin]

Sorry for posting twice

[eXZee]

Sounds like a sweet pedal.. I want one.

[guitar_mad_ali]

what about lead??? AAAHHH

[Jimmy Mc Shredd]

thats $22.04 us

[B-MAC]

I purchased this in the UK- fantastic pedal, and i only paid £15UK- absolute bargain!

[rps13fanatic]

I have this pedal and a Boss DS-1. I actualy this one slightly better because it has more versatility.

[OttovanZanten]

I bought it less then an hour ago for 19,95 euro's, because i HATE the distortion from my Marshall MG15DFX.
just tested it, but smoke came out of my 9 volt ac/dc adaptor, LMAO (nothing to do with stompbox)
But the stompbox owns sounds much better then the distortion i can get thru my amp.
Only think i don't like a lot, it buzzes.
Not very disturbing, and with wrong settings (everything FULL open) it sounds like i have a lot of feedback, VERY MUCH FEEDBACK!!
even while im 6 meters (18 feet) away.
Very weird.
But if you are thinkin of one, Buy it! It's cheap, and it sounds good.

[OttovanZanten]

(Finally, i can get a great sound out of my CRAPPY marshall and my Ibanez RG321 )

[OttovanZanten]

wtf, my comments are deleted? ...

[OttovanZanten]

wtf, now they are back, lmao,
(no i did not use the "previous" button)

[theology]

this little baby is a ripper.. you can play anything from power metal to death.. its cheap and great sounding.. but the battery access is pretty gay as most get confused that the battery compartment is underneath the stomp box it self, well its not :]it improved the distortion of my marshall MG30DFX by heaps =] goooood buy!!!!!

[OttovanZanten]

haha yes, very gay, i always use a adaptor.
Marhshall MG's have a crappy distortion.

[Punk_Ninja]

Despite the fact its bright Pink, it sounds good, i may get one, also i may subscibe to total guitar and get a free stombox with that *drifts away*

[Kirdy]

hey man is it $22.04 australian or american?

[Chupar]

Man, i just have to get one of these! $22.04!! Awesome!!!

[bigdave12345]

costs £15 over here in uk! ****in bargain

[bigdave12345]

just got mine for £15 here in england its awesome. i highly recomend to anyone!

[bigdave12345]

ok y did i decide to post twice....im finally losing it i think

[Deus Ex]

Does anyone one who has this pedal also have any other behringer pedals? i have the overdive/distortion pedal but am also thinking of getting the metal pedal. Just wondering if anyone has tried both and could say which is better!

[OttovanZanten]

hm... read the reviews for the pedals, this 1 was best
dont think this is TOO MUCH distortion, it's not only for metal, just turn down the gain and u can use for more kinds of music..

[metallicax]

does this pedal sound like the boss MT-2 (metal zone) cuz if does im gona get me one. how much is it in aus.

[OttovanZanten]

If you don't mind the plastic, (wich doesn't break easily!), get this 1!! especially because of the price

[Eskimohoe]

lmao, its not that great of a pedal, i have one. its got...too..fuzzy of a sound, at least through my frontman. and these articles lie...you cant get any sound you want out of it.(not saying you cant get what you want out of it, but for stuff like bodom, heavy metallica etc, no way.)

[thebrokensmile]

i just got one on sunday for 40 bucks (australian dollar) marked down from 60. i got this one and i tested it out. its a great little pedal. i brought this one cuz my digitech metal master got stolen i'm gonna track down the *******. but i wont replace this. it kicks ass for something so cheap.

[sg4ever]

I saw an almost full line of Behringer pedals for 19.99 at a local music shop. I think he jacked up the prices recently though...

[McNuggets100]

I got this pedal for $40 AUS. I think it sounds very
good, but my 20W amp makes feedback when i try to get the sound i like (heavy death thrash tone).
it would probably sound better with a big amp.

[Freddy_Walker]

I dont get feedbak through mine. I got it for $40AUD but now there 50 cause companies like BOSS cant compete anymore so when Boss put its prices down as far as it could behringer put theres up a bit.

[datedog]

Bought it with 30 euros here Finland. I think it's pretty cool, except its cover is plastic. That really sucks, you can't maul it with your hammer :\ Very good, cheap and cool. Pedobear approves!

[sg4ever]

They're SO inexpensive! They sound pretty good too!! My Kustom Quad DFX 65 sounds pretty sweet, but it can only get a regular crunch for punky stuff and grungy stuff. Now I can get the best of both worlds! Nice cleans, warm and crunchy mid-gain, more aggressive hard rock, and super heavy distortion.

[FFTLxx]

I have this pedal for my bass, I couldn't ask for a better sound, and it cost me $40!!!

[FFTLxx]

$40 australian that is.

[AllOpenStrings]

okay, 3 friends of mine bought the same dist pedal, and it conked out on them after a month. sure its cheap, and the dist sounds good but it wont last dick.period. the phrase "you get what you pay for" comes to mind easily. get a f**king boss or somethin.... maybe a damage control demonizer or a rocktron silver dragon (i lvoe that beast)

[eggy1991]

i call that bad luck AllOpenStrings...

I have had tis pedal since its realease, and it has had no downfalls at all... just sucks batteries like lollipops

[FFTLxx]

yeah I have this pedal, it just broke, i'd only had it a month.

[BRad243]

ive got the pdeal had some trouble with it for awhile but settled it out good beginner and pro pedals thou loads of choices to :-p

[spug2guitarist]

wats the difference between the behringer UM100 and the UM300??

[rockerhead5]

for a good metal sound just set it as if it was a scale of 1-10 with dist at 10,high at 8,low at 9, mid(top) at 7,mid(bottom) at 8,and level at the same as your amp, this thing is so good that i hooked it up to a cheap first act amp with a crescent guitar and sounds like a les paul with a digitech distortion hooked to a mashall amp.

[Skwisgaar]

get the boss mt-2 metal zone. it owns this piece of crap up the metal ass

[rougegratton]

isnt this FREE with total guitar when you subscribe for free delivery?

[slashzsystem]

behringer pedals arnt that great... i would neva gig wif one... save ur money and get a decent pedal