Behringer OD300 Overdrive Distortion Pedal for Guitar, 2-Mode Vintage to Modern Drive with Tone & Blend Control, Purple Effects Pedal for Stage & Studio

Much better than I expected. I used to have a Boss DS1 and didn't like the sound. This however, used on a low distortion setting and after my Behringer Vintage tube overdrive (which btw is excellent) produces a thick but "pleasantly dirty" sound just right for blues rock. It's dead useful that it has EQ settings too. A good choice.

Case is plastic so may not take a battering, changing the battery is fiddly. Current drain is 160mA so a PP3 battery will only last a few hours if used continuously. Sounds decent enough and plenty of versatility so at the price still good value.

I'm updating this review to reflect how my opinion has changed over time: this is the best Wah for bass currently being sold, regardless of price. As with most Behringer products this is massively underpriced even with the budget cutting materials. It doesn't feel weak or tacky, I have a Morley too and even though it's basically two slabs of material that you can jump on if you like I don't feel anxious when I switch to the behringer, it's solid. I use many wahs in many wahs. The hellbabe goes so well after my distortion chain, I can either avoid the upper range by using the frequency control or control that fuzz and get some excellent bass stabs that cut through when I need them to. It isn't as fun on its own as my Morley or My George Dennis but as part of a chain this pedal is so versatile and truly works as a true bass wah or as a lead wah for distorted bass that sits high in the mix. As you can see from my photos I have a good frame of reference. Most of my pedals are Boss, EHX or they are amazing pedals from companies that are famous in other areas, like Fender or Marshall. Behringer pedals hold their own, this and the tube modeller are overpowered for their price, and the sansamp copy isn't awful either.

This pedal is amsolutely fantastic for the price. Pure HM2 grind! Everything dimed but dial the mid knob back ever so slightly to get that original Boss HM2 tone. Shame its plastic.

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.

Sadly I got the high pitched whining noise as soon as I plugged it in, tried different amps, guitars and cables just in case but same problem

Good value, and greta wah sound. Easy to switch between wah and no wah wah. One small thing, you need to disconnect the battery if you don't want to drain it instantly when not in use

You're probably here for ONE of two reasons: Either 1.) It's cheap, it's bright pink and it says heavy metal on it. Or 2.) You've heard that this sounds identical to the original Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal, made famous by all those Swedish death metal bands. If you're here for reason 1, skip on this pedal, and go buy the UM300 Ultra Metal (cheap, pink Metal Zone clone), as the HM300 most likely isn't the heavy metal sound you have in mind. The UM300 can dial in a lot more standard metal tones, it's quite versatile and it's actually not that bad. If it's reason 2, then you can definitely believe what you've heard. I have a MIJ Boss HM-2, and I picked this up on a whim as I'd heard what it supposedly does. For £20, I thought "what's the worst that can happen?" especially after hearing the demos. The side-by-side comparisons were spot on. The HM300 is as close as you're going to get to the original HM-2, and if you don't fancy spending £100 in a beaten up, 25 year old HM-2 (or up to £250 on a boutique clone like the Left Hand Wrath which doesn't really sound all that much like the HM-2 anyway), then get this. Obviously the original HM-2 has a certain cool-factor and an everlasting re-sale value, but honestly - and you boutique pedalheads might scoff at this - I now prefer the HM300. The "sweet-spot" is slightly different. The HM-2's sweet spot is all the dials at 10, and the pedal sounds like garbage if you dial in anything BUT that. Whereas the HM300 is similar, though you roll off the "High" EQ (which on some models, they've called "Mid") just a *little* bit, though you can have it full, but it will give you a very cutting tone. which is great for leads, but is far too fizzy for that thick, saturated rhythm sound you're probably looking for. You can also roll off the distortion a little bit (to about 3 o-clock), which still gives you an incredible amount of gain, but it seems to ease off on the throttling compression you get at maximum gain, and the chugged palm mutes start to sound a bit more thrash-like; clear and stabby and less like an atomic bomb going off. That versatility is important for getting it to sit right with your amp. Unlike the HM-2, which if it doesn't sound good with your amp with the pedal's dials maxed out, then you are fighting a losing battle. It sounds like the original, with that added room to maneuver around your amp's natural tone. If your amp is bright, roll off the High. If your amp/cab gets a bit farty with low end, roll off the distortion, to get a much more level chug sound without compromising *that* tone. From my experience, you just can't do that with the HM-2. It's either all or nothing. With this, you have some wiggle room. Not only that, but it sounds GOOD. So close to the original that I feel a bit silly paying £100 for a Boss HM-2 some years ago. The ONLY downside is that it's plastic. For a stomp-box, I am worried as to how many stomps it will be able to take. But the tone is worth preserving, and for such a low price, you could use the money you saved on not buying a HM-2 to get a DIY FX pedal maker/modder to rehouse this for you, into something more resilient, if you really wanted to. Or you could just be careful with it. It's up to you. I am told they are more sturdy than they look and feel by folks who have had theirs a long time. We'll see. I haven't rehoused mine yet, but I am thinking about it. Ignore the reviews saying that it's bad. They just didn't know what they were buying. If you are buying this with either Swedish Death Metal in mind or that crusty grind/hardcore sound like Nails, Trap Them, Black Breath etc (which is pure Swedish Death Metal worship anyway), then you will not be disappointed! If you want a crisp, clear Brown Sound or a modern Metalcore sound, then this won't do it.