Well, it’s Benson Amps time again, folks!! It’s always a pleasure when their effects make it to our office, and this latest gem is sure to get everyone talking. The Germanium Preamp builds on the first pedal that Benson ever released, the aptly-titled Preamp Pedal, but with some tweaks and new circuitry options along the way. The result is a slightly lower gain, but richer sounding and feeling...
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Ever since we got our Monarch 15W amplifier from Benson Amps back in 2017, we’ve loved everything they’ve put out, especially when the effects pedals made their debut. Having already checked out the Preamp, Germanium Fuzz, Germanium Boost and Stonk Box units, we couldn’t wait to get our hands on their first foray into out favorite all-time effect: Delay. The Delay Benson has created brings vintage and modern...
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After the wild success of their Germanium Fuzz pedal a few years ago, Chris and the crew at Benson Amps decided to take the genre one more step further. Building off of the classic Tone Bender MkI circuit, the Stonk Box attempts to take a classic 1960’s fuzz design, and bring the sound into the modern world, without bringing any along the flaws and inconsistencies of the original. This one’s a beast, let’s get right to it!...
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Our 15W Monarch from Benson Amps has been a staple in our demo rig rotation for years, and the Preamp and Germanium Fuzz pedals they put out left us floored as well. Today, we bring you their latest effect creation, a seemingly simple but under-the-hood complex piece of gear: the Germanium Boost. Don’t let the lone knob fool you – a LOT of research and time went into this tone-enhancing machine; here’s what Chris and...
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Our Benson Amps Monarch has been a staple of our studio for years now, and one of our favorite amplifiers we’ve ever played. The Benson crew occasionally dives into the effects pedal pool as well, and we’ve got their latest for you today. The Germanium Fuzz is, well, a germanium fuzz, but one like no other you’ve seen. This pedal is set up in the ubiquitous 60’s circular fuzz topology, tuned for good sound, and...
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Many times throughout the course of a year, there are certain pedals that have a TON of hype around them, that just about everyone in the industry is waiting for their release to the public. Today’s pedal might just top the list for 2020, even though we’re only halfway through (really, only halfway?). The Chase Bliss Audio Automatone Preamp MKII is not only a collaborative effort with Benson Amps, but a surge forward in...
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If you’ve heard one or a hundred or more demos of ours over the last couple years, there’s a good chance the sound you’ve heard was coming from a Benson Amp. The Monarch has been part of our demo setup for a while now, and since we love its sound and tone so much, we were stoked to hear that Chris and the crew were finally putting out a pedal. Now, as far as effects go, “Preamp” isn’t always one...
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