Benson
48Also known as: Benson Amps
UnclaimedFounded by Christopher Benson in Portland, Oregon, Benson Amps is a boutique manufacturer of hand-wired tube amplifiers and guitar pedals. Chris Benson honed his craft as an apprentice at Verellen Amps in Seattle and later ran repair and modification shops at Verellen and Old Town Music in Portland before launching his own line. Rather than cloning vintage designs, Benson developed original cir...
$249.00 - $287.00
in Guitar Preamp Pedals Rank
$259.00 - $309.00
in Guitar Preamp Pedals Rank
$264.00 - $299.00
$2,099.00
$1,650.00
$249.00 - $287.00
in Guitar Preamp Pedals Rank
$899.00
in Guitar Preamp Pedals Rank
$249.00 - $292.00
$3,509.00
$2,399.00 - $3,509.00
$1,899.00
$3,799.00
in Bass Amplifier Stacks Rank
$3,509.00
$259.00
$3,300.00
$3,200.00 - $3,799.00
$2,100.00
$2,799.00
$959.00
$959.00
$3,799.00
$3,799.00
$3,509.00
Founded by Christopher Benson in Portland, Oregon, Benson Amps is a boutique manufacturer of hand-wired tube amplifiers and guitar pedals. Chris Benson honed his craft as an apprentice at Verellen Amps in Seattle and later ran repair and modification shops at Verellen and Old Town Music in Portland before launching his own line. Rather than cloning vintage designs, Benson developed original circuits inspired by classic American and British amp traditions, emphasizing touch-sensitive clean tones that break into harmonics with picking dynamics.
The amplifier lineup spans a wide range of formats, from the 1-watt Vinny to the 30-watt Chimera and the channel-switching Vincent, with the 15-watt Monarch serving as one of the company's signature designs. Other models include the Earhart (an EL84-powered top-boost style amp), the Nathan Junior, and the Tall Bird, an all-tube reverb and tremolo effects unit. Benson also produces a well-regarded line of pedals, including the Preamp Pedal — an FET-based stompbox voiced after the Chimera amp circuit — along with the Germanium Preamp, Germanium Fuzz, Delay, and Florist Dynamic Modulator.
Each amplifier requires approximately 16 hours of skilled labor to build. Cabinets are constructed and covered in-house, chassis are locally fabricated in Portland, and all units are hand-wired, tested, and assembled by a small team. Players such as Chris Funk of The Decemberists, Yuuki Matthews of The Shins, and John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants have used Benson gear.
Benson has 58 products cataloged on Equipboard, including Combo Guitar Amplifiers, Guitar Amplifier Heads, and Guitar Amplifier Stacks. Their gear is featured by 35 artists, with the strongest followings in Rock, Pop, and Folk, World, & Country. Notable users include Jessica Dobson, Scott Mills, and Ariel Posen. Most Benson products sit firmly in the high-end, boutique range.
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