The $29 unit went up against a moving car, a propane blow torch and a number of drops from differing heights, yet still survived. However, one test proved to be too tough to overcome…
No specific figures were given, but JHS Pedals’ Josh Scott, who inadvertently caused the Behringer hysteria when he posted a video encouraging everyone to buy the thing, did hint the real number of pedals sold was “absolutely insane”.
Owing to its frankly ridiculous price, many people would draw on the old proverb “you get what you pay for”, and for $29, it would be easy to suspect the worst of the Behringer Super Fuzz SF300.
The Tone Mob – aka Blake Wyland – was especially skeptical. In a new video posted to his YouTube account, he claims, “I had always heard that Behringer effects pedals were shoddy, unreliable and came in cheap plastic cases.”
“When a guitar pedal retails for between $15-$30, I just assume that’s the case,” he continued. “It is difficult for most guitar pedal manufacturers to even get their parts cost that low.”
So, what did he do to test if this was actually the case? He put the pedal through a brutal, incredibly thorough “torture test” to see just how robust it really is.
And – perhaps unsurprisingly, given the Behringer stompbox’s penchant for convincing people it might just be the ultimate cheap fuzz pedal about – it handles everything thrown at it miraculously well.
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Torture techniques involved start off fairly tame, including a hefty drop to gravel and a 30-feet fall from the air, with the Behringer battling through every time. Later on, however, The Tone Mob gets a tad more creative with his tests.
Still, despite being thrown at a road, launched out the window of a moving car and forcibly jumped on – a test that actually cracked the casing – the SF300’s cult classic fuzz tones just about survived.
At this point, we were beginning to think the SF300 might actually be invincible – a theory that gathers even more momentum when The Tone Mob takes a literal propane blow torch to its exterior, only to find the pedal still functions absolutely fine.
(Image credit: Behringer)
However, the pedal finally met its maker after experiencing a 15-minute stint in a Traeger oven. But, if we’re being honest, when would you ever need to barbecue a fuzz pedal?
“This normally retails at 30 bucks,” The Tone Mob said of the pedal in summary, “and I know people have had them die on them – it’s a $30 pedal, they can only make it so high quality at that price point – but the fact it took this abuse, I’m astounded by.
“I did not expect that,” he continued. “Behringer, I guess, at least brand-new out of the box, it can take a licking for a while. Who knew?”
It’s conclusive evidence that the Behringer Super Fuzz is made of sterner stuff than most would imagine, but we don’t anticipate anyone trying to replicate this experiment with any pricier pedals any time soon…
Matt is a Senior Staff Writer, writing for Guitar World, Guitarist and Total Guitar. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 16 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt records for a number of UK-based bands and songwriters as a session musician.
