The Behringer UV300 Ultra Vibrato is an analog vibrato pedal from Behringer, a budget-priced take on the classic Boss VB-2. Behringer describes switching it on as being like an invisible, automatic whammy bar on your guitar, moving from gentle, pulsing surf-style movement to the whirling effect of a rotating speaker12. It carries three controls, Rise, Rate and Depth, plus a Mode switch, and it runs on a 9V battery or a DC power supply3.
An analog vibrato modeled on the Boss VB-2
The UV300 exists because the Boss VB-2 has a long history of being hard to get. The VB-2 is an analog vibrato pedal whose BBD-driven sound was revived by Boss in 2016245, and it is associated with Prince's recorded eras from "Purple Rain" onward, with Guitarcloud noting it can be heard on the Linn LM-1 parts of "Forever In My Live"2. Coda Effects describes the Behringer Ultra Vibrato as a pedal that "tries to emulate the famous Boss VB2"4.
Inside, the UV300 is a modern build: Coda Effects traced the full circuit and found lots of surface-mount parts, including CoolAudio's bucket brigade reissue chips4. Those chips are the current-production descendants of the BBD (bucket brigade device) technology that gives the original VB-2 its analog vibrato character54. The result is what Coda Effects calls "a 25 euros analog vibrato!"4.
How close is it to the real thing? Coda Effects, which modded a Behringer UV300 Ultra Vibrato, describes the vibrato as "quite warm and really nice," and the pedal delivers the same BBD-driven analog sound as the original Boss VB-242. The same reviewer was less convinced by the plastic enclosure and the potentiometers, which "frankly look quite cheap," though at around 25 euros the UV300 costs a fraction of what a vintage VB-2 goes for42.
Controls and modes
Behringer's page lists three dials and a Mode switch31:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Rate | Sets the speed of the vibrato |
| Depth | Sets how deep the pitch movement goes; Coda Effects found it "really allows to have subtle settings"4 |
| Rise | Sets how quickly the effect ramps up, echoing the VB-2's Rise Time control32 |
| Mode | Selects Unlatch, Bypass or Latch1 |
The Mode switch is the feature the UV300 inherits most directly from the VB-2's design:
- Unlatch: the effect only applies while you press down on the pedal, so you can add vibrato to a single note3
- Latch: the effect is constantly on once you step on it1
- Bypass: the effect is off6
Gearnews' Jef Stone highlights the same three Mode settings in the pedal's favor, and Coda Effects calls the latch function "quite interesting as well"46. An amber LED shows when the pedal is active1.
Power and the buffer
The UV300 runs on a 9V battery or Behringer's PSU-SB DC power supply, which is not included3. A battery clip is fitted inside the pedal4, so it works standalone without a power supply.
The pedal also contains a buffer. Coda Effects notes that "the buffer modifies a bit the sound, but the vibrato is quite warm and really nice!"4. For players comparing true-bypass alternatives in the same lane, pedals like the TC Electronic Tailspin and TC Electronic Shaker take different approaches to vibrato.
Build quality and price
The UV300 sits at the low end of the price range for vibrato pedals. Coda Effects noted it cost around 25 euros as of January 20184, and the trade-offs show in the hardware: the same author writes, "I am not really convinced by either the plastic enclosure or the potentiometers that frankly look quite cheap"4. The pedal comes in a plastic enclosure rather than the metal box of the Boss original4.
Slowing the vibrato with a capacitor mod
- Two 100nF film or ceramic capacitors (82nF capacitors work as well for a slightly quicker setting)4
After the mod, the vibrato is much more usable, with slower and subtler settings possible4.
- Open the pedal and locate capacitors C12 and C154
- Solder 100nF film or ceramic capacitors in parallel with each4
- Reassemble and set the Rate control, which now reaches much slower speeds4
The parts list is short: two 100nF film or ceramic capacitors, with 82nF possible for a slightly quicker setting4. After the mod, Coda Effects reports that "the vibrato is now much more usable. Slower and subtler settings are now possible"4. For a player who wants slow, subtle pitch movement without soldering, alternatives include the Diamond Vibrato, the EarthQuaker Devices The Depths V2 and the Chase Bliss Audio Warped Vinyl HiFi.
Videos
Behringer
GuitarGAS
Wayne Calford
Questions
Does the Behringer UV300 take a battery?
Yes. Behringer says you can power the UV300 with a 9V battery or its PSU-SB DC power supply, which is not included. A battery clip is fitted inside the pedal, so it works without a power supply at all.
Is the Behringer UV300 analog?
Yes. Coda Effects, which traced the circuit, describes the UV300 as an analog vibrato built around surface-mount parts and CoolAudio bucket brigade reissue chips, the same class of chip that gives the original Boss VB-2 its analog character.
What does the Mode switch do on the UV300?
The Mode switch selects Unlatch, Bypass or Latch. In Unlatch the effect only sounds while you hold the pedal down, so you can add vibrato to a single note. In Latch the effect stays on once you step on it, and Bypass leaves it off.
Why is the UV300 vibrato too fast?
In stock form the Rate control's slowest setting is still very quick. Coda Effects found the speed, even set to minimum, far too high, and published a mod that solders 100nF capacitors in parallel with C12 and C15 to slow the whole range down.
Is the Behringer UV300 a copy of the Boss VB-2?
It is a circuit emulation rather than a literal copy. Coda Effects says the UV300 tries to emulate the famous Boss VB-2, and JHS Pedals reports the two are sonically identical in a blind comparison, though the UV300 uses surface-mount parts and reissue bucket brigade chips.
Does the Behringer UV300 have a buffer?
Yes. Coda Effects notes the pedal contains a buffer that modifies the sound a bit, but still describes the vibrato as quite warm and really nice.
Sources (6)
- UV300 | Behringer, Behringer
- Boss VB-2 Vibrato, Guitarcloud (guitarcloud.org), 2026
- UV300 | Behringer, Behringer
- Coda Effects, Coda Effects (www.coda-effects.com), 2018-01
- NAMM 2016: Boss revives the VB-2 Vibrato and releases new compact effects pedals, MusicRadar, 2016-01-19
- 8 more cheap pedals every guitarist needs to try, www.gearnews.com, 2020-09-12
