Benson Amps Releases the Self-Biasing Germanium Boost

October 1, 2021 · 7 sources

Benson Amps announced the Germanium Boost, a self-biasing, one-knob clean boost pedal built around a germanium transistor with a voltage-controlled error-correction circuit that keeps it correctly biased at all times¹². The pedal builds on the ideas in the company's earlier Germanium Fuzz, and Guitar Pedal X reported that designer Chris Benson's boost was actually his first attempt at the auto-biasing circuit behind that fuzz³. The pedal was available at bensonamps.com at launch⁴.

The core idea is a servo-biased germanium circuit: the pedal measures and corrects its own bias continuously, so the player gets the sound and feel of germanium without the temperature-related drift the transistor is known for. MusicRadar described it as a one-knob design that "uses a clever bias-correcting circuit to deliver the feel and character of germanium" without the usual temperature-related weirdness⁵. Once powered up, it takes about ten seconds before the error-correction circuit correctly biases the germanium transistor⁶.

The pedal's features as announced:

• One single over-sized dial in a low-profile enclosure¹
• A clean, non-coloring linear boost³
• Power from a regular 9V battery or a 9V DC Boss-style center-negative power supply⁶
• A warning that the supply must not exceed 9V, or the pedal or power supply could be destroyed⁶

Guitar Pedal X called it "reasonably priced at $199"³. The maker also noted that it helps acoustic guitar pickups sound more natural⁷, placing it among the options covered on our boost pedals page.