Benson Amps launches Deep Sea Diver Fuzz-Echo with Jessica Dobson

March 14, 2025 · 3 sources

Benson Amps has released the Deep Sea Diver Fuzz-Echo, a signature pedal developed with Jessica Dobson of the Seattle band Deep Sea Diver, the maker announced on March 14, 2025. The pedal combines a silicon fuzz and an echo circuit in one enclosure and is available now at $249¹².

The fuzz is a three-transistor silicon design that Benson describes as "kind of a deranged mashup of mk1.5 and mk2"¹. Its two main controls, bias and gate, are interactive; Benson says they cover sounds from an aggressive treble booster to thick, dark fuzz to the gated sounds heard on Deep Sea Diver records¹. The echo uses a tweaked PT2399 chip with time, feedback and level controls¹. MusicRadar describes the chip as digital but capable of an old-school analog quality². Guitar World lists the echo controls as Feedback, Delay Time and Echo, plus an overall volume knob³.

Holding down the footswitch sends the echo into sustained feedback at some settings¹. Powering the pedal on while the footswitch is depressed swaps the fuzz and echo order: the LED is green with fuzz before echo and orange with echo before fuzz, which Benson calls its favorite setting¹. The pedal runs on a 9V DC Boss-style center-negative supply, draws less than 100mA, and has no battery¹. Benson lists a two-year warranty excluding modification or damage¹.

Dobson, who Guitar World notes has also performed with Beck and The Shins³, said of the design:

Benson says the Fuzz-Echo works anywhere in the signal chain and with guitar, bass or synth, and that it will have a small amount of hiss even on cleaner settings¹. MusicRadar reports the design took over three years². Guitar World gives the price as $249³; MusicRadar lists the same $249 figure².