Behringer make some great equipment for guitarists. The 69 Vibe pedal is great to get those Hendrix tones. But is this 69 Vibe Univibe effects pedal really any good?
Behringer 69 Vibe Inside and Out Review 2026
Behringer 69 Vibe - A Univibe Tone That's Affordable!
Introduction and Preamble
Well, you know, one of the effects that changed guitar was the Univibe. It was (at least for me) made famous by Jimi Hendrix and that 'Machine Gun' track played live in the Fillmore East in New York on January 1st 1970 with the 'Band of Gypsies' it is probably seen as the most important live recording ever made. And the Univibe is all over that recording. It placed Hendrix as the number one guitarist in the world to me - and I was particularly influenced by that track that I STILL listen to even now.
But without 'that' Univibe tone it certainly would not have been the same. But buying a Univibe (the original) in 2026 would be very expensive.
In fact £2964.00 from Rock Solid SoundsBiloxi, MS, United States. The one from Rock Solid Sounds looked great but had been sold a while ago. Who knows maybe they have more!
One day I turned the radio on as you do and I listened to the music and there it was. Yeah. A Univibe being played by Hendrix. I didn't know where it hit me. It was like listening to Malmsteen for the first time in the early 80s. It was basically life changing. Yeah, there he was. Jimi Hendrix. And that's what this sound is about. Now, this old one shown above was stopped being made a long time ago. Hey if Rock Solid Sounds wants the Univibe image removing just ask and I'll remove it.
This pedal under review is the Behringer 69 Vibe pedal - made by Behringer - and what a Univibe type of sound pedal it is... read on.
The 69 Vibe is scarily purported to cost £60 or thereabout somewhere in that region. Right from the off, it's actually solid. It's really decent metal and well made. So let's take a look at it close up. And we'll have a quick look inside as well because that matters on these things because there's modern cheaper equivalents and older original equivalents. And they do sound a little bit different to each other because they operate different. So this one from Behringer should be quite interesting I think. I have already tried the 69 Vibe Pedal by the way. It's pretty awesome. But let's get closer with our inside and Out review:
Well, there it is. I mean, what more can you say? It even looks the part, and it's actually made of metal. Yeah, it's all the stuff that you might think it is. It's got the usual things on it. It's got a volume, it's got an intensity, and a speed. And that's pretty much like the Dunlop one I own. And I guess it's pretty much like the original as well, Ei Shin or something like that whatever it's called. I'll never get that right. there's also a chorus and a vibrato, which again is the same or similar to the original. And you've got the effect off and on. That's the controls on the top.
C69 Vibe Pedal Inside and Out Review
Of course its got the usual stuff like I said - a volume, an intensity and a speed control on the front. There's a chorus or vibrato switch and an effect on or off switch. There are a couple of other things on the original, but that's maybe to be expected. So let's take a look at the I/O on the back of the unit.
I/O on the back
Simple connections of course, connect the instrument (might not even be a guitar remember!), there's also the output as well as a foot control. and notice that the power is a DC input power requirement of 9 volts and 300mA current consumption. In my case I used the Boss DC power supply that has a positive on the outside of the connector and it worked perfectly well.
Inside the 69 Vibe
The insides of the 69 Vibe shows immediately the main board and that is marked with a 'musictribe' name. I'm not familiar with that name, it might be a Behringer trade name or maybe a company making the PCB or main f=board etc. for Behringer. In any case it matters not. The important thing is that this main board IS high quality and I can confirm its made very well and should last years! And notice while we're looking that there is a connector for a 9v battery so the unit can operate on battery if necessary.
This is all good, but Univibe pedals are made in different ways, some correctly and others that really are made differently than what those originals were designed with.
So How Does a Univibe Work?
The Univibe and most of the derivatives (but not all) operates on a four stage system with each stage 'tuned' to handle a different frequency that move between a high and a low point. Think of the Univibe like a phase shifter. There is an all pass filter that phase shifts the incoming audio and with clever circuitry the amplitude of the signal remains constant. But some very narrow range of those frequencies do get delayed and that affects the audio. It sounds like a rotary speaker somewhat. For a complete rundown if you're technical visit The Technology of the Univibe where you can learn everything about the Univibe you might ever want to know!
As seen on many devices there are four light sources that are sensed by other circuitry. However, some devices don't follow exactly the original design. As we will see the 69 Vibe, while not physically identical, does have those 4 light sources and sensors but in a slightly different package.
Main PCB and its Contents of the 69 Vibe
Just click it for a larger image
Examine the larger image and see those adjusters (I don't recommend you adjust them!) and the light emitters and sensors all seemingly in one unit these days. I'll show you a little of a more original Univibe type of unit later. I'd hate to see what would happen if one of these light and sensor units failed on this unit though. Maybe they'd sell you the components, but my guess is they won't or they won't have them or it won't this or it won't that. But listen, for £60, you cannot argue with this.
The overall build quality is excellent really. Its a modern PCB for sure with some SMT (surface mounted technology) components. No matter how you look at it, this 69 Vibe rocks. There are also some weird designed components on there and if those failed would you even be able to get them - Ha if you're worried buy two! :)
Another Univibe Style Pedal Inside
Click for bigger image
This is a Univibe type pedal from River Rat Pedals in the USA if I remember correctly. Looking at it you can see its a very different device than the 69 Vibe pedal. Look at all those components etc. so you might guess that the RR pedal costs a lot more money. And rightly so. So let's look closer at the technology in this unit.
The Light and sensors old style
Click for large picture
Take a close look - because this is really far more like the original design - (physically maybe) than the 69 Vibe is. But think like it this way, the 69 Vibe is a modern equivalent. That copper cover on the previous picture of the river rat pedal can be awkward and difficult to ensure it covers the lights and sensors etc. at the very least. But I did want to show you at least one example of the more original design. In my video review I also show a second pedal from Dunlop that is even a better example of the Univibe vibe (ha can I say that!).
What Else?
Remember all these devices have an input so you can use a pedal (not unlike a volume type of pedal) that can adjust the vibe etc. And like I said that foot controller can be very useful particularly if you're playing live. And I know that Hendrix did use that controller pedal all the time and he often cocked it into a certain place or certain position to get those tones that ultimately lock him in to 'Machine Gun'. And that's forever.
So How Does It Sound?
It sounds VERY good indeed. I have had a number of Univibe type pedals over the years - even kits I made. They all cost substantially more than the Behringer 69 Vibe and that's a fact. And you know what, this pedal is probably in the same ball park as any of those other pedals I have bought, owned and used for many years. Sure, it is NOT the original pedal, and if you could afford one of those then buy it! But if you want a low cost Univibe tone then get this pedal!
Warranty?
Yes it even has a warranty! I think maybe just one year - but that's still excellent for this cost and it's all metal cased remember.
The Tony Score?
Simply it has to be a 10/10 for this 69 Vibe pedal... but do look around for the lowest cost as they CAN vary a little.
Conclusions
So, what else can I say about this 69 Vibe from Behringer? Well, not a lot really. I think it's a pretty good device especially for that money. And if you look at what's inside like we have here, the sort of quality of the thing, listen, it's second to none. If it said Boss on the front, you would probably pay twice the price or maybe even more. Who knows? But the fact is it's not particularly inferior to any of those other devices. I don't think so. If you want my final opinion, and by the way, I did buy this - this is NOT a sponsored review in any way. It's totally completely my own work and my own opinion. So, is it worth buying? Well, yes, it is. Even if you've got the remotest want to play around with a uni-vibe, I'd have a go with this one.
Thanks for sticking with me through this written inside and out review - it's been a blast - and do note that I'm completing 21 written reviews over the coming months that will show you all about the gear without spending hours on YouTube only. It is time I updated the website, it was not updated for a while, but now I have decided to offer everyone a few more insights rather than 'just' videos.
Thanks.
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