Benson Amps Portable Distortion 424 MKII Preamp Effect Pedal

Curiouser and curiouser, tape cassette preamp emulation and the Benson Amps Portable Distortion 424 MKII. When it comes to some of the most prolific preamp tones – the kinds that most people have come in contact with – the sounds of four-track tape cassette recorder direct inputs might not immediately come to mind. In any case, Benson's Portable Distortion 424 MKII is after just that.

The classic "424" tape cassette recorder studio has earned something of a mythical status in online guitar nerd circles. Plugging a guitar directly into a tape cassette recorder channel isn't strictly a "new" idea, but doing it specifically for its distinctly overwhelmed and blown-out distorted tone somewhat is. This is where Benson comes in.

The Benson Amps Portable Distortion 424 MKII is an authentic preamp and distortion pedal that accurately captures the sound and playability of the kind of devil-may-care, overblown, saturated, and overwhelmed tonal experience you'd get from plugging your guitar directly into a tape recorder studio recording channel. The Portable Distortion 424 MKII recreates the compressed and distorted tones of overdriving said recording channel. Resulting in a one-of-a-kind driven tone that bounces around from a squeaky, shimmery clean preamp to a neurotic, clipping distortion, the Portable Distortion 424 MKII is really something all its own.

Beyond translating the tones of tape recorder op-amps into a pedal, Benson went ahead with a closer consideration for playability, authenticity, and customization. Benson translated the behavior of the "424" tape cassette recorder's gain trim control closely. So much so, in fact, that they designed in a push-button Lo-Z Mode control that better helps the pedal fit into your signal chain. This push-button mode enables a specialized buffer that better helps it play anywhere in your signal, whereas in the "off" position, the authentic gain trim character plays best first in your chain. Another consideration is the pedal's eighteen-volt internal operation for added headroom, while the pedal only requires your standard nine volts.

What's old is new, apparently. Obsolete tape cassette recorders still have that special something in their sound all these years later, so much so that we have a team like Benson taking that something on – who would've thought?