Behringer UM300 Ultra Metal Distortion Pedal Reviews

For the price of the pedal it sounds amazing. From my experience I haven't had any feedback issues, works with non-branded 9v power supply, and a immediate response. I was skeptical about this product for how much it costs, I'm glad I was skeptical for nothing.

Good control over characteristics.
Controls feel nice and solid.

i love this pedal i was amazed at how heavy of distortion you can get wow!no matter how heavy your metal is this will make it even more metal.sweetwaters service is the best of the best!if you have an issue no matter how small or big it will be dealot with.ask for nathaniel derusa in sales he goes above and beyond to make things right.you will not go wrong with this pedal imho.

I own 6 or 7 Behringer pedals, and this is easily my favorite one, as well as one of my favorite pedals overall. It's pretty easy to dial in a variety of rich metal sounds, and it preserves a lot more bottom end (i.e. bass frequencies) than any of the other gain pedals I own (with the possible exception of the Boss OD-3). I highly recommend it, especially if you are a beginner or you're on a budget. It really chugs.

For the price you can't beat it. I've been using mine non stop for several months and still enjoy playing with the knobs for a variety of tones. I love the versatility this things gives. I can't find a weakness for this price. Whether it's lead or rhythm I can dial it up. Love this pedal.

This pedal is amazing. Thick saturated gain. Very tweakable. It lives in my effects loop and is rarely off. $, free warranty, 5 stars. Thanks Sweetwater & Behringer!

Awesome sounding pedal for the money!

I remmeber seeing this pedal in a review and thinking "Woah, this sounds really good for a 30$ pedal, but maybe it's just the way they recorded it with expensive instuments and all that" But then i got that, and WOAH. I was looking for Metallica/Megadeth kind of tone, adn with one pedal, i got that. I use a Jackson JS22 and a Fender Mustang LT25 (VERY budget) and it still sounded very professionally made. it feels very sturdy for plastic, and all the effects on it give it a VERY wide range to work on. Applicable for almost any genre of metal, so it's your choice. my favorite pedal on my pedalboard so far!

This pedal is great, I mean, there's a learning curve before you get good at it, but as you master it, you can dial in a big variety of tones with that mid freq. knob.
It's pretty sturdy and sounds great, the only downside is that my batteries seem to drain pretty fast.

This pedal is great for just jamming at the house! Awesome price and sound! A little noisy but that is to be expected for a distortion pedal. Highly recommend for anyone looking for that metal sound.

I got this pedal because I wanted to emulate that horrible 90s, digital distortion (ie/ DOD Grunge, Danelectro Fab Tone). It CAN do that, but it does so much more. This really could be someone's only drive pedal. You can dial in lots of usable sounds just by increasing the mids on the pedal (you back them off if you want that style I described earlier). This pedal isn't even just "good for the money." It's a workhorse!

I was very skeptical about this pedal, but for the price, I said WTH. This is a Boss Metal Zone clone. I was blown away last night when I tried it out through my Roland JC-40 effects loop!!!!!!!!!!!! This thing is the Swiss Army knife of high gain tone!!! Yes exclamation points are warranted. Black Sabbath, Pantera,AC/DC,Randy Roads, and yes.........Van Halen "Eruption" tone!!! You have to use this through your effects loop (bypassing the amps pre-amp section) and using this as the pre-amp!! The bass eq and the mid eq are the secret sauce on this pedal. You want the bass up past 12 at least and the with the mid eq you can dial in scooped death metal to mid focused thick soaring screaming lead tones! Warning.....every eq dial is super sensitive (low, low mid, mid and high eq) This pedal kicks mucho insane booty!!!!!!! Tone sculpting galore and this is really really hi-gain bliss!!! Be careful of the high eq and low mid eq (a little goes a long way) Super tight and articulate high gain. Add a little reverb and if your into the Satch/Vai tones then add a little delay on this and you are in lead shredding paradise!!! I have Friedman pedals and other types of overdrive and distortion pedals. This affordable knock-off Metal Zone clone is my new favorite pedal and it happens to be the most affordable pedal I own. I have a Behringer digital reverb (ok), 2 Behringer graphic EQ pedals(good) and the blue Behringer compressor pedal(great). Behringer hit this one out of the park!!!

Works great!

Crunch to djent, it does that 'scooped mids' Swedish chainsaw tone sound very well, and more. Sound is close to a cranked up dual rectifier, and it is modeled after the Boss Metal zone. May be a bit difficult to open, so I recommend the use of a power adapter.

As for the price, I got mine for 19 bucks, delivered, as it was a demo model.

Just check the reviews on YouTube to hear it

This is the third one I've owned, someone always nics my boxes when I'm not sobber! It's been an ole stand-by, dial in just what I want, covers many styles, just don't loan your ultra metal you won't get it back.

It has so many different options for sounds

Thanks Sweetwater for another low priced clone pedal that does what the most expensive pedals do. Amazing value even though it is made of rugged plastic. I don't jump around like a wounded duck, so this should last a long time!!! 5 stars for free shipping!!

Amazing pedal!!! Great deal for $. I'm a big metal guitar player. This is the cheapest and the best pedal you can find! definantly worth the price. Thank you, Sweetwater!

Does what it should. I use it with the drive almost off for a great crunch. The eq will give you lots of shapes to play with. Add the CL9 in front and sustain and tone will get even better. For the price it's a win win for all. Thank you Sweetwater for getting good pedals for so stinking cheap!!!!!

I had a Metal Zone back when I was young. I wanted to sound like Page Hamilton from Helmet. The MT-2 did me absolutely no favors. As the 90s passed and I grew into my guitar sound, I eventually pawned my MT-2 for peanuts in pawnshop credit. It's a pedal with a checkered past and divisive reputation. Now of course we know it's a much more usable into an amp's fx loop return but it's still not a widely loved pedal. I picked up the Behringer UM300 to satisfy my Metal Zone nostalgia. I don't know if there's munch internal difference in the Behringer's guts but used alone, in front of an amp, it sounds just like I remember the Mt-2 sounding. Swarm of caffeinated angry hornets, until you learn how to finesse the built-in EQ. However when I ran it into the mxr 6-band EQ I was able to get some really fun low end sounds even at bedroom volumes, weird harmonics, sustains & usable feedback. With a stock pickup, cheap clearance special Ibanez and the clean channel of a dusty little Line 6 combo I was getting some rad chugga-chugga and messing around in drop-D. Great fun. At this price I have zero regrets. Protip from a graying Gen Xer, just use the tips of a patch cable to simultaneously depress the battery cover release buttons on Behringer pedals. Cover will pop right off. Some people don't read directions and these are like a Boss pedal's dirty little cousin, a different animal. Both Boss' original and this UM300 have been used to great and surprising effect in death metal, lo-fi black metal, grindcore and other high-gain earbleed music. If you're not a tone snob and have some patience, there's a very fun and misunderstood pedal in the Behringer UM300. I spent more on fastfood lunch today than I did on the UM300. That must count for something.

Great pedal at any price but the low cost only adds to the deal!
I needed a pedal with more gain and this pedal has it. I am using it
with a modded Bugera V5 Infinium. I replaced the speaker with a
Jensen and Tungsol Tubes. Wow! The pedal sounds great with this amp!

Behringer makes great pedals at a great price. Received this a couple days ago and have jammed for hours with it. This pedal allows you to find that perfect tone and level of distortion you crave. Concerns in other reviews about the plastic housing of Behringer products shouldn't be a concern if the pedal is handled properly.

Sounds and functions like Boss Metalzone but for 1/3rd of the price, the only downside is its plastic casing unlike metazone's metal case

For $... I'll never be buying another Metal Zone. This pedal is more than close enough in sound and shape to the MT-2, but for WAY less money. If you are a bedroom player, or casual gigger, this pedal is more than enough for you. Don't let the plastic casing fool you. It's pretty sturdy.

I bought mine open box. Works like brand new, perfect high gain pedal for my finger stuff on bass. It sounds very similar to the Danelectro FAB Metal (the pedal I purchased this to replace), but with better midrange and more adjustable. Definitely worth the investment.

I bought this pedal this week just got it was blown away for the price u cant beat it very good quality

After seeing a video of this pedal in action, I bought it to make my socially isolated bass playing more enjoyable. It does not disappoint. As you'd expect at this price, it's plastic, but not flimsy. Putting a battery in it was bizarre to say the least, and involves a ball point pen (or two.) Thankfully, that was covered in the scant instructions. The sound is metal AF, just as advertised. The gain is insane and just looking at my bass starts it ringing. (There are plenty of adjustments, thankfully, so maybe I can reign it in.)

My first experience with Sweetwater, and it was excellent all the way around. And at this price, I'll definitely be back for more.

I use this pedal with synthesizers (Volca Keys/Volca FM) for rough and filthy sounds.

Of all my cheap pedals, I keep coming back to this one. I bought this from this site a few weeks ago and at least once a day I'll feel the urge to plug this one in and chug or shred. Plenty of customization options, which helps harmonizing with another guitarist. Even at the lowest distortion level, it sounds like a good blues pedal.

Great distortion pedal! For the price, you won't beat it! It has a nice tone to it; it's not harsh at all. Where it really shines is in the EQ parameters. You can get almost any sound you want. It's made of plastic, but don't abuse it and you'll be fine!!

Bought this pedal to replace my ancient Boss Metal Zone when it died recently. This pedal is basically a clone of the Metal Zone but for wayyyyy less money. I honestly think it"s a little easier to dial in too. I"m just an at home player but this thing definitely does what I need from thick crunch all the way down to a gritty classic rock tone when I roll back the volume knob. Very versatile EQ, you just need to be patient when you dial it in. Not sure how it would work for professionals or through a stack of tubes though I"d love to find out !

This pedal sounds amazing for the price. I was very pleasantly surprised.

I just bought a new Marshall Mg30cfx. The crunch channel is decent, the OD1 channel is decent, but the OD2 isn't much hotter than OD1. It does however, have a really good clean channel, so I thought I might try a distortion pedal to get some thick & meaty distortion to add to the sonic mix. Wow, this pedal sounds great! You can get this thing as thick & meaty as you want with all the tonal variations that you can dial in. It really does sound great through the clean channel on my amp. Huge difference between the drive available on the amp, & this pedal, but that's what I was looking for. As I said, OD2 on the amp isn't much hotter than OD1, so this pedal really adds that heavy but smooth dirt when I feel inspired to thunder! It really has brought my little Marshall to a new life when the urge strikes. It's greatly opened up my options for playing, and is an inspiring sound. I'm pretty happy with it. As for concerns about it not being very rugged, I have none. I don't stomp my footswitches, I press them. I think it'll hold up just fine for how I'll use it. For as inexpensive as this pedal is, I think it's a great value!

It is hard to find something that is both a good price and good quality, this pedal is both. I have recently taken up guitar as a hobby and wanted some distortion effect but I didn't want to invest a lot of money, at least to start with. I read the good reviews about this pedal and decided to give it a try, and I was not disappointed. I would recommend this product.

This pedal is great for high gain metal and sounds just as good if not better than other pedals that cost way more. It's actually modeled after the BOSS metal zone, which i've also owned, but it sounds way better. Very impressive sound quality and the EQ makes it very versatile for all types of high gain distortion. This pedal is a great value!

Honestly, a great distortion pedal!

if you use this with acoustic instruments, you may have a feedback problem. a magnetic soundhole pickup works great with this- piezos? no dice. it sounds as heavy as you like, and the sweepable mids are very cool

I normally use a Boss Katana and have a JCM 800 collecting dust in the corner. I love the sound of the katana amps, but I decided to buy a couple of these Behringer pedals because of the price. In particular, this and the HD300.

I find it hilarious how good this sounds as a preamp. Do not put it in front of an amp, that is why the Metal Zone has a bad reputation. I thought it would be interesting to see how good I could make this sound going straight from this pedal into the similarly-cheap Behringer DI with the cab simulator (the red one).

Maybe I just don't have the golden ears, but to me, this yielded a highly useable guitar tone that only needed minimal eq after being recorded. You can definitely overdo it with the high end, and there are one or two little upper mid things that can poke out that have to be tweaked. But I didn't even spend that much time dialing in the pedal, so it could have just been chalked up to that. I will update this review once I have some tracks released and in a listenable format.

I have had two of these for years, the switch on one is finally going out. so i ordered another one and a friedman be-od, i sent the friedman back. the friedman is a solid pedal but the sound falls apart at high gain, at lower gain its a nice lower gain marshall sound. the um 3oo can do lower gain but really shines with high gain, much like the pedal it is cloned after the mt2. i have that one to.to get the best out of the um300 like the mt2. do not crank the highs, do not scoop the mids and watch the lo end, dont crank it much. personally i keep the hi's and lo's cut back some with the mid's close to flat. while i know some nock off a point because of the plastic case, its not an issue for me i have many behringer pedals. none have broken, but i do not stomp on them. so in conclusion if you need high gain and have the funds for the mt2 by all means buy one , if not then get the um 300, they sound almost identical. to me um 300 reminds me of a duel rec. high gain happiness to all. ROCK ON.

This effect box stands up strong against the onslaught of similar products.
Holding it's ground with Low-Mid Frequency-Mid and High adjustable settings as well as Output and Distortion.
All offering enough variations to satisfy the taste buds of metal enthusiasts.
Whether used alone or in combination with other overdrive/distortion pedals,
it's usability and compatibility is great at a very reasonable price.
An excellent value. I am glad I bought one while they were still in stock.
VERY COOL Behringer!!!
Thanks for making it affordable.

I bought the UM 300 a few weeks ago from Sweetwater... It arrived very quickly with no issues.

As an "intermediate" player, this was my first real foray into effects pedals. I wanted something to experiment with without breaking the bank. My musical preference is primarily 70s and 80s hard rock and heavy metal.

I have to say, for the bedroom/garage player, it would be hard to beat. The sound is great and it really adds the crunch and distortion that metal heads seek with lots of tone adjustment options.

Most of the complaints I've seen about these Behringer pedals relates to the plastic housing. I'd say that's probably a valid concern. If you're a full time gigging musician, this pedal probably wouldn't last a week. But if you're a pro player, you probably aren't looking at plastic pedals anyway.

So, if you're an amateur hobbyist player looking for something inexpensive to help you crank it to 11, you found it.

This pedal is great and the price is awesome. It has great range of tones from classic rock/metal to modern rock/metal. Works well with both humbuckers and single coils. The only reason for a 4.5 is that there is some feedback at the highest gain settings and the construction isn't the sturdiest.

I've been playing guitar for some 50 years and was just looking for a pedal that would jam out the modern distortion tones as well as produce the sustain I was looking for. This little gem seems to be the one. Unbelievable price for the sound it produces. The plastic case is a little drawback for those travelling or moving equipment a lot. Right now....I'd have to say I love it!

I was looking for a pedal to give my little Marshall MG15fx a boost of metal,and didn't want to spend a lot. I found it. After I set the pedal up to play, Metallica, motorhead,etc. It not top shelf but worked with no issues. I play a Jackson Dinky js34q with a Fr special tremolo. Epiphone Les Paul Traditional pro 4..Both of these guitars sound like led zeppelin type of distortion without the pedal. With the ultra medal pedal you can get closer to your heavy string muting or palming heavy Anthrax type sound. I dialed in my guitar and Call of the Katulu sounds much more aggressive and lively. On a budget or not..For my particular guitars and Amp setup it works.

Sound of a boss classic with a tenth of price. Still has a sturdy feel even though it's plastic.

Love this pedal. I love my 6505, but sometimes you just want a basic solid state distortion and this thing is perfect for that. It's okay on it's own, but running a screamer into it is where it shines. A little distortion bump is all you really need after that. It also sounds really good running the Behringer SF300's boost mode into it.

Really liked this pedal, first pedal I've ever bought so I'm not sure how others compare but its just for my hobby playing and making my own tracks
Needed a little something to boost so I bought it
Although one thing I dont like is it makes some noise like whistling and humming

This pedal has a lot of range. Enough control to tweek it from the blues to chainsaw thrash metal. I'm a Boss Mega Distortion fan myself but 97.5% of what that pedal has Ultra Metal can take on.

As a newbie to using pedals to be able to start with an inexpensive unit like this one is nothing short of awesome.

What a kick *** pedal! I have several distortion pedals and I use this one the most. You can't go wrong specially for how cheap it is. In fact I'm going to buy another one when they get some in.

Seen some bad reviews on this and at first I thought they were right about the noise hissing and squealing sound but I moved it away the amp and it was perfect Sounds great

Sound good.

When I took this pedal out of the box it was as pleasingly heavy like a brick; perfect for bludgeoning people to death with. I can’t, in good conscience, give this pedal a rave review because upon plugging it in and hitting a few power chords the walls of my house started to bleed, the dead were raised, and Beelzebub took up residence on my mantle and started helping himself to my cookies. Summoning of the hordes of hell aside though, this pedal has definitely got the sonic wherewithal to strip the paint from my basement, which is what I bought it for in the first place.

I have several distortion pedals and I use the Ultra Metal pedal quite a bit.

Bought two different pedals as figured you cannot beat the price. yes you can beat the price as they do not work properly and are super cheap plastic that i would say be careful stepping on the pedal. Very surprised a company has customer first mindset would even offer these low quality pedals to there customers. save your money and buy a real pedal as will last you as these will not even if they work for you at the start . buyers beware. my rep said you can send them back. why would i spend anymore money to just waste to get a small credit. would rather take that money and give to someone in need.
Glad garbage day is tommorrow as these pedals will be in there

...it sounds so synthetic. Like a sawtooth keyboard. And that’s without distortion. I mean with the distortion there is so much gain my amp picks up my strings just for existing. Best part about my shipment was the candy. No hate for sweetwater. Just got this piece of junk.